Windawski Canal

The Venta- Dubysa channel ( Lithuanian Ventos - Dubysos Kanalas, Polish Kanał Windawski, ( Ventspils channel) ) is an abandoned channel in Lithuania, the Dubysa near Bazilionai, Rajongemeinde Šiauliai, with the Venta ( Ventspils ) at Tolučiai, Rajongemeinde Kelmė mates.

From 1821 rose Prussia prohibitively high tariffs for the transit of Polish and Lithuanian goods through its territory. Thus, the Polish trade was virtually cut off from access to the Prussian ports on the Baltic Sea. Previously, this had been handled by the Vistula and Danzig and Memel river and city. The Polish Minister of Economy Franciszek Ksawery Drucki - Lubecki gave her the idea to open a new trade route, the Congress Kingdom of Poland with the Courland port of Ventspils ( Ventspils ) should connect.

The waterway was planned and built in two sections. First section was the Augustowski channel in the province Augustów of the Kingdom of Poland, which was connecting via the rivers Narew and Biebrza to the Memel Creek Czarna Hancza of the Vistula. Second section was the Ventspils channel, intended to link the Memel on their tributary Dubysa in Kaunas province of the Russian Empire with the Venta.

The work started in 1825, however, came in 1831 in the wake of the Polish November Uprising and the conclusion of trade agreements with Prussia to a halt. At the beginning of the 20th century they were taken from the Lithuanian side again, but suspended again during the First World War. After the war, Lithuania gained control of the lower reaches of the Nemunas and the Klaipeda port. Therefore, there was no need for the continued construction of Ventspils channel.

The channel has a length of 15 km. He initially follows a glacial valley through which the stream flows Kurtuva. Intended were twenty -locks to overcome height differences.