The Corinth Canal

A contemporary “work of art” with roots back to Antiquity…

The original idea

The marvelous project of the Corinth Canal has been a unique construction
enterprise, with efforts for its implementation dating back to the Ancient times.

In fact, it seems that the idea of opening the canal was the idea of the Tyrant of
Corinth, Periander, as early as in 602 BC.

Construction

Over time, the opening was attempted by Demetrius the Besieger in 307, Julius Caesar, Caligula, Nero, Herod the Atticus, Byzantines and Venetians, but they were all in vain. From then, until the final implementation of the canal idea by the great “modernizer” Charilaos Trikoupis, passed almost 2,500 years!

With the Hungarian engineer Béla Gerster at the helm, the Corinth Canal will begin being constructed in 1882 and it will be completed in 1893, with an opening date of July 25 of the same year. Today, the Corinth Canal impresses both for its rich history and its practical importance, given that it is an international hub and 12,000 ships pass through it in an annual basis, as well as for the extreme sports that take place there…