The Saimaa Canal connects the Saimaa water area Saimaa Lakeland from Lappeenranta to the Gulf of Finland via Vyborg in Russia. Its total length is 43km and the average drop between Saimaa Lakeland and the Gulf of Finland is 75.7 metres. The canal has eight locks, and there are seven draw bridges and six other bridges crossing the canal.
First attempts to connect Saimaa Lakeland to the sea date back to the 16th century, but the construction for the first Saimaa canal did not start until in 1845 with the greatest construction work in Finland at the time. The canal was inaugurated in 1856, and it instantly fulfilled all expectations and became a tourist attraction.
