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!
The League of Armed Neutrality An uneasy alliance between century old enemies that could have jeopardized the outcome of the Napoleonic wars.
To the
Heights of Mount Sergius He was nick
named the ‘second Nelson’. A dashing officer that staged – and succeeded – not one but two successful sieges in the
Mediterranean.