The Great Alsatian Canal ( French Grand canal d'Alsace ) is a canal in the east of France, in Alsace .
| Grand Alsatian Canal | |
|---|---|
| fr. Grand canal d'Alsace | |
 Between the Rhine River and the Canal | |
| Location | |
| A country |
|
| Region | Alsace |
| Characteristic | |
| Length | 50 km |
| Watercourse | |
| Head | |
| · Head location | Kembs |
| Mouth | |
| · Location of the mouth | Vogelgrun |
| Channel slope | 12 m m / km |
 - head  - mouth | |
The canal is only about 50 km long, but it plays a crucial role in the navigation of Alsace. The canal was built since 1932, with a break for World War II . The opening of the channel occurred in 1959. The channel is located between the communes of Kamb and Vogelgrün .
The Great Alsatian Canal provides access from the North Sea via the Rhine to barges with a carrying capacity of up to 5 thousand tons. The canal allows navigating between Basel and Strasbourg more than 30,000 ships a year.
In addition to the locks , four hydroelectric power stations were built on the canal. Electricity from these hydroelectric power plants is supplied to one of the most industrially developed regions of France and even to Germany. In addition, the canal provides sufficient water throughout the year for the nuclear power plant in Fessenheim , which eliminated the construction of cooling towers . [one]
Notes
- ↑ Upper Rhine - article from the Great Soviet Encyclopedia .