Photo Gallery » Mierzeja Wiślana Cut

The Mierzeja Wiślana Cut is a 1536-meter (4,978-foot) long canal connecting the Vistula Lagoon with the Gulf of Gdańsk in Poland. It was officially opened on September 17, 2022. The canal is designed to reduce the distance between the Baltic Sea and the port of Elbląg.

The Mierzeja Wiślana Canal

Here are some technical details about the Mierzeja Wiślana Canal:
Canal length: 1536 meters (4,978 feet)
Canal depth: 5 meters (16 feet)
Canal width: 25 meters (82 feet)
Lock: 270 meters (886 feet) long, 25 meters (82 feet) wide and 5 meters (16 feet) deep
2 rotary bridges each 25 meters (82 feet) wide
The canal is suitable for navigation by vessels up to 100 meters (328 feet) long, 20 meters (65 feet) wide, and 4 meters (13 feet) deep.

Where is the Mierzeja Wiślana Canal

The Mierzeja Wiślana Canal is located in northeastern Poland, in the Pomeranian Voivodeship. It was built at the site of the former settlement (now uninhabited) of Nowy Świat in the municipality of Sztutowo. Nowy Świat is located behind the town of Kąty Rybackie in the direction of Krynica Morska. It can be reached by car via road number 501. The map below shows the exact location of the canal.

Construction of the Cut

The Vistula Spit Canal is an investment that aimed to connect the Vistula Lagoon with the Baltic Sea. Construction began in 2019 and ended with the symbolic opening of the canal on September 17, 2022. Due to unfinished work on deepening the shipping channel in Elbląg, the canal is mainly used by tourist and recreational vessels.

The Vistula Spit Canal

A bird's-eye view of the entrance to the canal from the sea. From the side of the Gulf of Gdańsk, the canal is protected by breakwaters: the east breakwater is 1 km long and the west breakwater is 340 m long. Breakwaters are an important part of the canal's infrastructure. They protect the canal from damage and provide a safe place for ships to moor.

The Vistula Spit Shipping Canal

The Vistula Spit Shipping Canal is a 1536-meter-long canal that connects the Vistula Lagoon with the Gulf of Gdańsk. The canal was opened in 2022 and was intended to be a key element of Poland's transport infrastructure, improving access to the Baltic Sea and stimulating economic development in the region. However, two years after its opening, the canal is not meeting its objectives. The reason is the lack of dredging work in the port of Elbląg. As a result, the canal is currently only being used by ships with a shallow draft, mainly tourist vessels.

View of the Baltic Sea at the entrance to the canal

View of the setting sun over the Gulf of Gdańsk at the entrance to the canal.

The length of the canal on the spit

The Vistula Spit Shipping Canal is a 1536-meter-long canal that connects the Vistula Lagoon with the Gulf of Gdańsk. The total length of the waterway from the Gulf of Gdańsk through the Vistula Lagoon to Elbląg is almost 23 kilometers. The canal cuts through the Vistula Spit at its narrowest point.

The Vistula Lagoon and the Vistula Spit

The sunset over the Vistula Lagoon and the Vistula Spit is one of the most beautiful views in Poland. The sun setting over the horizon creates incredible colors that reflect off the water surface. The view is particularly stunning in the spring and fall when the sky is clear and cloudless. At this time, the sun sets more slowly and creates more intense colors.

Roads, canal, bridges, locks

The Nowy Świat Lock (New World Lock) is 270 meters long, 25 meters wide and 5 meters deep. There are two steel swing bridges over the canal, which provide a continuous connection for vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians between the banks. During locking, one of these bridges is always available for crossing.

How deep is the Vistula Spit Cut

The depth of the cut is 5 meters. This allows ships with a draft of up to 4.5 meters to sail through. This is important because the Vistula Lagoon is a shallow body of water, with an average depth of about 2 meters. However, in order for ships with a draft greater than 4.5 meters to be able to enter the port of Elbląg, it is necessary to deepen the shipping channel through the Vistula Lagoon. The deepening of the shipping channel through the Vistula Lagoon will need to be periodically improved. This is because the bottom of the body of water is prone to erosion. The cost of deepening the shipping channel through the Vistula Lagoon is expensive. It is estimated that the cost of deepening the shipping channel through the Vistula Lagoon in 2022 amounted to about 40-50 million Euro.

Cost of the Canal Construction

The cost of the construction of the canal through the Vistula Spit has been a topic of much discussion. Initially, it was estimated that the investment would cost around 880 million zlotys. However, during construction, costs rose and eventually exceeded PLN 2 billion.

Evening on the Lagoon

The Vistula Lagoon is a shallow body of water with an average depth of about 2 meters. To enable navigation for large-draft vessels, it is necessary to dredge the shipping channel. Dredging of the shipping channel on the Vistula Lagoon is a continuous process. This is because the Lagoon is fed by the waters of the Vistula River, which have a large amount of suspended sediment. This sediment settles on the bottom of the shipping channel, causing it to silt up. Dredging of the shipping channel on the Vistula Lagoon is carried out using specialized technical units, such as bottom diggers, dredging cranes, and dredging barges.

Digging of the Vistula Spit

Aerial view of the Vistula Spit Canal from the Vistula Lagoon side. The canal and the deepening of the shipping channel have caused changes in the water flow, salinity, and chemical composition of the water in the lagoon. This could have a negative impact on some plant and animal species. Research is currently underway to assess the impact of the canal and the deepening of the shipping channel on the ecology of the Vistula Lagoon.

Aerial View of the Vistula Spit Cut

And here is the souvenir from the government... it's a shame that it's not well thought out and unfinished... but let's hope that people will find a use for the cut and it will allow for the development of tourism in the region because in my opinion it is probably the most suitable for that. It significantly facilitates access from Gdańsk to ports on the Vistula Lagoon such as: Frombork, Krynica Morska, Tolkmicko and other interesting places: Elblag, Malbork and the Elbląg Canal. Without tourism, it is a dead investment...