1860 Jelenie and Buczyniec Boat Inclines on Elbląg (Elblag) Canal in Poland

Jelenie: (Satellite)

Buczyniec: (Satellite)

As one would expect, one cradle goes down while the other goes up.

JoMa, Public Domain, via AtlasObscura

At one end of the shipway is the building that houses the machinery and the sheaves that guide the cable under the water to pull the cradles.

 Krzysztof Jakubiszak, Aug 2022

Here is a close up of the four sheaves that turns the cable 90 degrees and shoves it under the water.

Ina Stölzer, Nov 2025

And this is the machinery in the building.

Ladislav Porteš, Oct 2025

This water wheel on the side of the building powers the machinery.

Mirtill Hanti, Aug 2024

At the other end of the shipway is three sheaves that simply change the direction of the cable. Note that one boat is getting on a cradle and another one is waiting for the next one to arrive.

Mirtill Hanti, Aug 2024

You lean forward and enjoy the ride.

Gabriele D'Amato, Jul 2019

Jelenie and Buczyniec are two of the shipways on the Elbląg Canal.

Anete Vipule, Jul 2025

 

Anete Vipule, Jul 2025

Anete Vipule, Jul 2025

Anete Vipule, Jul 2025

Facebook Reel

Ken Osetroff: The canal is located in East Prussia ( NOW POLAND ) and was designed between 1825 and 1844 by Georg Steenke, carrying out the commission awarded by the King of Prussia. Construction began in 1844.

Richard Hill posted 18 photos with the comment:

PERPETUAL MOTION at the Elbląg Canal

(photo post accompanying the reel of the same name)

While Belgium can boast its massive boat lifts - they were not the first - nor the most technically innovative. Back in 1840 in East Prussia the Elbląg Canal (as it is now called) was completed and lifted boats over 100m in height over a 10km section. Now the fun part - to do this it was engineer that it was purely power by the flow of water with NO help from an external force (no steam engine, no horse or manpower - just the flow of water!) 

Today it is a tourist attraction with the pulley stations also open to the public who can stare in awe all this is done simply by the flow of water and was designed almosst 200 years ago !

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Richard Hill posted nine photos with the comment: "UPDATE: The Elbalg Canal (Oberländischer Kanal) whose boat lifts are powered by the flow of water was designed and built by the Prussians….and in Berlin's Deutsches Technikmuseum you can see a big model of how it worked."

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