Sweden's Blue Band –

the story of the Göta Canal 

by Kester Bathgate

An astonishing engineering feat, dug entirely by hand by 58 000 men and stretching from coast to coast across Sweden. Once vital for trade and defence, now attracting thousands of holiday makers,  the Göta Canal is still a wonder.
”Every time I look at a map of Sweden, I wonder that there is no canal which unites the seas in east and west. A canal would facilitate trade and be good for the defence of Sweden”. 

Such were the words of Baltzar von Platen, the Swedish Admiral and Diplomat, whose vision produced the ’engineering marvel’ still in use. Born in 1766, he came from an old noble family in Rugen, then part of Swedish Pomerania in what is now Poland. His father was a field marshal and when Baltzar was thirteen he also seemed destined for a military career, although he aspired to join the Swedish Navy and initially attended the cadet school at Karlskrona. Then, because there were no suitable posts in the navy at that time, he served for some years as mate on ships in the mercantile marine, before the political climate obliged him to resume his chosen career. In 1785 he assumed command of the frigate ‘Diana’ and took part in an expedition to Morocco. Captured at the Battle of Hogland in 1788, fighting the Russians, he then spent two years in an enemy prison before his return to Sweden, where he found that he had been promoted to the rank of captain. In 1800 he requested, and was granted, a discharge before turning his attention to politics. He became a member of the Swedish Government in 1809, and the following year was promoted to the retired naval rank of rear admiral. Alongside his political interests he was also developing ideas for the canal and before long they came to the attention of his colleagues in the government, where they gained support and eventual acceptance. Consequently, at the surprisingly young age of thirty-four and by order of King Karl XIII, he commenced work on what was to become his major legacy to posterity.

The concept of a canal linking the Baltic to the North Sea was not entirely von Platen’s, but had originally been put forward by Bishop Brask in the sixteenth century. The reason for it wasn’t exactly new either – to avoid the frequent closing of the Öresund by one of Sweden’s near-neighbours, Denmark. This centuries-old and somewhat high handed, tactic had frequently been used by the Danes in order to exact dues from the ships that passed through the narrow Sound between the two countries, which naturally included those of Sweden. However, rather than merely talk about a canal to avoid this problem, von Platen was determined to actually build it and his initial attention was given to construction of the Trollhätte Canal, between the seaport of Gothenburg on the west coast and Sweden’s largest inland lake, Vänern. In 1798 he acquired a seat on its board of directors but, by the time this relatively short canal was opened in 1800, von Platen had further developed his ideas into a waterway that stretched across the whole country to the Baltic. Politically, beside the threat from Denmark, von Platen was equally concerned with the worsening situation between Sweden and her other traditional enemy to the east, Russia. He thus saw ’his’ canal as being the means of moving both warships and merchant vessels from one side of the country to the other.

An English expert

On the practical side, von Platen realised that the construction of the canal was going not going to be easy and that it would have to cross some very torturous terrain. Making use of the existing rivers and lakes would be a relatively simple operation, but areas of solid rock and forest would also have to be traversed, taking into account the considerable differences in elevation. Naturally, von Platen would employ the skills of his country’s own civil and military engineers, but he realised that he would also have to acquire the expertise of specialist canal builders, skills which were not then available within Sweden. Great Britain was then, arguably, the leading nation in canal construction, thus in 1808 von Platen approached the talented British engineer and canal builder, Thomas Telford, who at that time was working on the Caledonian Canal in Scotland. The engineer accepted the commission that was offered him and travelled to Sweden, where he spent some three weeks in helping von Platen decide on the most advantageous route for the proposed waterway. Naturally, Telford would employ his own surveying methods and when work began measuring instruments and other items of equipment, such as special dredging boats, were imported from England. Primarily, however, it was the construction techniques and specialist knowledge that von Platen needed and which he felt could be adapted for use in Sweden.

From a study of a map of the south of the country, it is easy to understand why von Platen and Telford chose the route that the canal now follows, utilising the natural terrain of the country wherever possible. Travelling east from Lake Vänern, the route traverses the neck of land between it and Sweden’s second largest lake, Vättern, and then is linked by further smaller lakes and natural waterways to the Baltic coast at Mem. The most difficult part to construct was likely to be that between the two large lakes, for here the ground rises sharply and is formed for the most part out of solid rock. On this stretch, at Lanthöjden, the canal rises to its highest point of 91.8 metres above sea level and is marked by a seven metre high obelisk set up in 1820.

In 1809 the Swedish parliament, the Riksdag, approved construction and a year later the formal charter from the King commanded von Platen to commence work.  This document also authorised the setting up of the Göta Canal Company to both build and operate the canal, besides granting the Company labour, land and use of the forests. As happens with many developments today, the canal’s proposed route would very likely not have pleased many of those whose lives were directly affected and one can only speculate as to how many farmers, landowners and others were displaced, even though perhaps receiving some form of compensation. That aside, all the early planning von Platen had put into the scheme now came into its own, but just how was this enormous task to be carried out? 

Exhausting work

As steam power was then in its infancy the canal would have to be dug by hand, but whereas the majority of the English canals were built using civilian labour, the so-called ’navvies’, it was decided that work on the Göta Canal was to be undertaken by soldiers and prisoners. Approximately 58,000 men, drawn from some sixteen regiments, were initially employed in the undertaking although perhaps another 2,000 were to be used, including about 200 Russian deserters from the war of 1809 and some civilians. In total they worked approximately twelve million ’man days’, each working day being of twelve hours duration. Much of the exhausting work involved the use of iron bound wooden shovels, but blasting where necessary and stone dressing were equally important. Since the workforce was so comprised, the day-to-day construction work followed an ordered military regime. Reveille was sounded at 4 a.m., followed by regimental prayers and breakfast before the work of the day began at 5 a.m. Construction work, with short breaks for meals, then continued until 3 p.m. followed by free time until 8 p.m. ’Tattoo’ was sounded one hour later. The routine varied little, but the men had four hours of exercise a week – on top of that which they experienced daily – and they were expected to keep up their shooting practice in the summer. They were lodged in specially built barracks whilst the work was in progress and where the regimental cooks provided the meals. The quantity, if not the quality, of these would appear to have been adequate and the diet itself, which today would not be considered nourishing, was then normal enough fare. Grain for bread was imported from Russia and the Baltic Provinces, whilst other delicacies included herring and peas. Schnapps, which very likely provided some compensation for the heavy work, was apparently purchased in large quantities! 

A distinguished visitor

Over the 22-year period of the canal’s construction, there must have been many visitors who travelled to see its progress, both from within the country and abroad. One of the more influential of the latter, certainly where the fortunes of Sweden were concerned at that time, was none other than Vice Admiral Sir James Saumarez, then in his final year in command of the British Baltic Fleet. His guide was the Governor of Gothenburg, Count Axel von Rosen, and in the August of 1812 both men took time off from their respective duties to travel to the Trollhätte Falls, north west of Gothenburg, to view the impressive series of locks that formed part of the already completed Trollhätte Canal. As has been mentioned, this was not yet part of the Göta canal but was eventually to form its western end. It is probably not known what the two men actually discussed during the visit, but they were by this time good friends and we can speculate that, amongst many other pressing topics, Count von Rosen would have taken the opportunity to inform Sir James of Baltzar von Platen’s great scheme. We can also imagine the Admiral being intrigued, both by the scope of the undertaking and the means by which the engineering problems were to be surmounted. Saumarez had previously been in communication with von Platen by letter, on important matters concerning the on-going war in the Baltic, and had had occasion to meet him following the Treaty of Frederikshamn in September 1809, which settled the country’s borders with Russia. From this, Saumarez would have recognised the Swede as a man of determination and good sense, eminently capable of the construction of the Göta Canal. For his part, von Platen had said of Saumarez on that occasion, ‘we cannot deny that in a high degree we are indebted to you for our existing as a state… our ports are open to so brave an ally, to so successful a protector.’

A painting by the Swedish artist A.C. Wetterling, dating from 1856 and now hanging in Linköping Castle, shows some idea of the day-to-day work on the canal – although it perhaps gives little indication of the sweat and toil involved! Painted some twenty four years after the opening it depicts Bernadotte, who had ascended the throne as Karl XIV Johan in 1818, together with his son Prince Oscar and other Royal and civic dignitaries, inspecting the work at Brunneby Lock, near Berg, the following year. The King stands in the centre of the picture whilst on his right, bareheaded and in Admiral’s uniform, is a respectful Baltzar von Platen. One of the many interesting features depicted is the inclusion of a surveyor peering through a theodolite and it is worth noting that, like Telford, many of those working on the project were British. These included a number of the foremen with the work gangs and the first manager of the Motala Verkstad, or iron works, Daniel Fraser.

Special mention should be made of this establishment, set up by von Platen in 1822 in the small town of Motala, situated on the eastern side of Lake Vättern and from where the canal continues on its way towards the Baltic. The Works was originally built to manufacture the machinery and structures needed for the canal, in particular the sluice gates, bridges and their associated fittings. Some of the locks still in use today are the originals, although with later modifications, and each of them was given a name. The oldest of them, together with the iron bridge nearby, is to be found at Forsvik, near lake Vättern. Both date from 1813, the former bearing the name of Sweden’s monarch at the commencement of the work, Karl XIII. With the passage of time the Works manufactured other items, including some of the passenger vessels for the canal itself and equipment for use all over the country.

The birthplace of Swedish engineering

Much as Ironbridge is considered in England, Motala is looked upon as the birthplace of the industrial revolution in Sweden and many engineers came to be connected with the canal and the Motala Verkstad. These have included such famous names as Gottfried Kockum, C. G. Bolinder and John and Nils Ericsson, the latter brothers having worked on the canal as surveyors when, unbelievable as it may seem, they were respectively only twelve and thirteen years old! They were to go on to achieve further fame, Nils to developing the Swedish railways whilst John is credited, amongst others, with the invention of the screw propeller. So well known in fact did the Works become, that its reputation spread well beyond the borders of Scandinavia and even passed into the realms of literature. Thus, in his book Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Jules Verne has Captain Nemo, on describing the wonders of the ‘Nautilus’ to his guests, mention the fact that the submarine’s stem and ram were manufactured in the famous Swedish Motala Works, thereby indicating that they were of the finest quality.

Karl XIV Johan officially opened the Göta Canal on 26th September 1832. The Royal entourage, consisting of Bernadotte, his wife Desirée and Prince Oscar, travelled to the lock at Linköping, where they first inspected a Guard of Honour consisting of 300 men from one of the regiments that had been working on the canal. They then boarded the Royal Yacht ‘Esplendia‘ and in company with the sloops ‘Hector’ and ‘Neptunus‘, travelled the relatively short distance to Mem on the Baltic coast, where the opening ceremony was to take place. Sadly, Baltzar von Platen was not amongst the many dignitaries at the ceremony, having died almost three years before in December 1829, but the King gave him rightful recognition in his inauguration speech. Von Platen had been made a Count in 1815 for his work towards the unification of Sweden and Norway and was awarded the Swedish Order of the Seraphim by the King in 1822, for the completion of the western part of the canal. Almost certainly, he would have received even greater honours on the canal’s completion, had he lived. Elevated to the position of Riksståthållare, or Viceroy, of Norway in 1827 for his services to that country, he passed away two years later in the city of Kristiania, known today as Oslo. His body was returned to Sweden where, with great ceremony, he was buried beside his life’s work at Motala and where today a statue of him, plan of the canal in hand, looks out across the town square.

Alongside the canal many buildings were constructed which were directly connected with either its operation or defence. About 350 of them still survive, many belonging to the Göta Canal Company. Perhaps the most impressive is the fortress at Karlsborg, on the western shore of Lake Vättern. With its three massive round towers and defensive system, it dates from 1819 although it was not finally completed until 1909. It is one of the largest buildings of its kind in Europe, covering an area of 5 kilometres, but it was never used as originally intended. Built during a period of tension with Russia, it was designed to be variously a refuge for the Royal Family and the government, a vault for the country’s gold deposits and a store for arms. Today it houses a military museum and has become a favourite with visitors, one of its attractions featuring war re-enactments from the nineteenth century. Other buildings still surviving are the workshops at Motala, and the warehouse at Mem where the canal’s opening ceremony took place.

From labour to leisure

No survey of the Göta Canal would be complete without mention of some of the craft that have plied its waters. None remain from the Canal’s earliest days, although paintings give some idea of what they would have looked like. These, naturally, would have had masts and sails but their use would probably have been limited, given the vagaries of the wind and the restrictive width of the canal. Quite possibly sweeps were used and very likely vessels would have also been horse drawn. One of the later ships for which there is any solid evidence and which could move under her own power, was the paddle steamer ‘Erik Nordevall’, built in 1837 and which operated on the canal until she sank on Lake Vättern in 1856. Her remains still lie on the lake bottom at a depth of 45 metres, but a replica of her has been constructed at the Forsvik yard for service on the canal and was launched in 2009. Traditional methods were used as far as possible in her building and the ‘Erik Nordevall ll’ is fitted with a replica of the original steam engine.

Three more recent vessels, dating from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, are still in use. These are the ‘Juno’ (1874); the ‘Wilhelm Tham’ (1912); and the ‘Diana’ (1931). The two former vessels were built at the Motala yard, whilst the latter was constructed at Finnboda in Stockholm. Built specifically to operate on the canal, they are all approximately 31.50 metres in length, with a beam of 6.70 metres, a depth of 2.72 metres and have a gross tonnage of about 260 tons. They were all steam powered until the mid 1950’s, when they were converted to diesel, the last to be re-engined being the ‘Diana’ in 1968. Although 5 knots is the maximum permitted speed on the canal itself, the ships are capable of up to10 knots, a fact which they naturally take advantage off the coast, between the eastern end of the canal and Stockholm. Today, renovated to modern standards but maintaining their period charm, they operate in regular traffic during the summer months, when they can each carry up to 55 passengers on either two, four, or six day cruises. The two latter, the Göta Canal brochure confidently states, operate on two different routes: Gothenburg to Stockholm – and Stockholm to Gothenburg! The Göta Canal ‘experience’ is very popular, both amongst Swedes and from increasing numbers of foreign tourists.

The ”Divorce ditch”

The cost of the Göta Canal amounted to 9 million rixdaler, in the currency of the time. The equivalent today would be approximately 14.6 billion Swedish kronor, or £1.35 billion (providing for about 37 Sammy Ophir wings at the National Maritime Museum – should one wish to do so!) The other canal statistics are also somewhat impressive: the canal itself is 190.05 kilometres in length, 90 kilometres of which was dug and blasted by hand, and utilises the two largest ‘inland seas’ in the country; 200,000 cubic metres of rock and 8 million cubic metres of earth, was removed during its construction; the waterway takes in a river, three other canals and eight smaller lakes; it also has fifty-eight locks and twenty one guest-harbours – the latter providing for approximately 3,000 pleasure craft which use the canal every year. Trained personnel are on hand to help to keep the traffic running smoothly, particularly at locks and moorings, and with the maxim – ‘it’s not a job, but a life style’. There is also one other notable ‘statistic’ perhaps worth mentioning. The Göta Canal has also acquired the somewhat unfortunate title of the ‘Divorce Ditch,’ from the many boating couples who have come to grief using it over the years - for reasons that need no explanation here and which are, in any case, outside the scope of this article!

There are also a few ironies. Probably thanks in some measure to the one-time canal designer Nils Ericsson, the railways gradually superseded the waterway as the prime means of moving both passengers and cargo; and the canal has never been used for war purposes. We can be sure that Baltzar von Platen, were he alive today, would be pleased by the latter and also be thankful that his ‘Blue Band’ has been given over to more pleasurable purposes. In some ways, however, things don’t really change a great deal. Swedes are still obliged to pay ‘Sound dues’, but then so are the Danes these days, in the form of a toll – not so much for ships to pass through the Öresund, as for vehicles cross it by means of the modern bridge constructed in 2000. Thus, following a few hundred years of mutual rivalry and distrust, the two countries are now joined – at least technologically. Some might say that as far as ‘bridging the gap’ in other areas is concerned, things are still somewhat wide apart!

© Kester Bathgate

Images:

Above: The locks at Berg

Below:

  1. Balzar von Platen . Portrait by Johan Gustaf Sandberg.

  2. Thomas Telford. Engraved by W. Raddon from a painting by S. Lane. 

  3. Trollhätte Canal during building 1798. Etching by Louis Belanger, printed 1800.

  4. King Carl XIV Johans visiting the building of the locks at Berg in 1819. Painting by A.C. Wetterling 1856. Nationalmuseum.

  5. The opening of Göta Canal at Mem 1832. Painting by Johan Christian Berger. Nationalmuseum.

  6. Eric Nordewall II.

  7. Juno and Diana.

  8. The locks at Berg.

  9. MS Diana at the locks in Forsvik.


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