Po polsku: Kanał Łączański
Did you know that the highest lock in Poland sits on a quiet canal just west of Kraków? The Łączański Canal (Kanał Łączański), also called the Łączany-Skawina Canal, is a navigable waterway 15.7 km long. It runs parallel to the Vistula (Wisła) and connects Łączany with Skawina, a dozen or so kilometres west of Kraków.
What is the Łączański Canal?
The canal was built between 1955 and 1958. It brings water to the power plant in Skawina. It was opened in 1961 as part of the development of the Vistula between Silesia and Kraków.
It is a narrow canal, and it is overgrown with water plants. There is a kayak club on it. Under a 2002 regulation of the Council of Ministers on the classification of inland waterways, the canal has class II.
The canal is part of the so-called Upper Vistula Waterway (Droga Wodna Górnej Wisły).
The lock at Borek Szlacheckim
The main attraction is the lock (śluza) at Borek Szlacheckim. It is the highest lock in Poland. Here are the numbers:
- length: 85 m
- width: 12 m
- head (difference in water level): 12.0 m
- locking time, up and down: 45 minutes
What belongs to the hydraulic complex
The canal is only one part of a larger system, the Łączany-Skawina complex of hydraulic structures (Zespół Obiektów Hydrotechnicznych Łączany – Skawina). It includes:
- a movable weir with an earth dam, upper and lower cuts, and embankments,
- the Łączany-Skawina navigation and power canal, 15.5 km long,
- the lower navigation canal, 1.4 km long,
- a power canal that brings water by gravity from the upper approach basin to the Skawina power plant, 1.6 km long,
- a flood gate,
- the chamber lock at Borek Szlacheckim,
- the front dam at Borek Szlacheckim,
- an emergency spillway with a flushing outlet at Borek Szlacheckim,
- an emergency closure for the power canal.
Cycling along the canal
This is the part I like most for visitors. An asphalt cycle path runs along the canal, separated from car traffic. The section from Skawina to Jaśkowice is almost 11 km long and opened in 2022. The route is flat and is part of the VeloSkawa trail.
To get back to Kraków by bike, you can take the Vistula Cycle Route (Wiślana Trasa Rowerowa) through Tyniec, with its Benedictine abbey on the cliff.
My tip: there are no shops or places to eat along the way, so take water with you.
Practical info
- Where: the canal runs parallel to the Vistula, from Łączany to Skawina, a dozen or so kilometres west of Kraków.
- By bike: an asphalt cycle path separated from car traffic runs along the canal (Skawina–Jaśkowice section, almost 11 km, opened in 2022). The route is flat and is part of the VeloSkawa trail. You can ride back to Kraków on the Vistula Cycle Route through Tyniec.
- Getting there: by train from Kraków Główny to Pobory Skawińskie station or to Skawina.
- Entry: free, no opening hours. There are no shops or places to eat on the way, so bring water.
- Highlight: the lock at Borek Szlacheckim, the highest lock in Poland.
- Nearby: Tyniec Abbey, Zator Castle, Zator carp (karp zatorski).
Checked October 2026. Opening times and prices change, so please check before your visit.
More guides: Kraków & Małopolska in English.
Łukasz, Niezwykła Małopolska