Corinth Canal

Another important fact of Corinth's history is the canal. The idea of a canal here goes back into antiquity. The 1st proposal build it came in the 7th century BCE, but the project failed and was abandoned. Instead the Diolkos was built as a stone paved portage road up and over the isthmus. Ships were towed from between the gulf of Corinth and the Saronic Gulf.
After numerous starts and failures over the centuries, the canal was started in 1881 and finished in 1893. Even then, it still was difficult due to unstable rock, tidal currents in the canal, ship's wakes undermining the walls, etc. Given the navigation challenges and it's narrow width (a bit more than 21 meters at the waterline), the canal is mostly used for recreational boating.
The 2 pictures are taken from the bridge at the top of the rock cut looking in opposite directions. The depth of the rock cut isn't clear, but it is more than 50 metersRead more