Augustowski Canal – natural and cultural heritage
Localisation
The Augustowski Canal is an example cross bordering object. It lies in Belarus and Poland
Geographical coordinates to the nearest second
Dębowo
N 53°36'39'' E22°55'19''
Augustów
N53°50'29'' E 22°59'31''
Kurzyniec
N 53°51'42'' E 23°31'56''
PL/BY state border
Niemnowo
N 53°52'12'' E 23°45'34''
the end of the canal
New canal estuary into the Neman River
the beginning of the canal
N 53052'18'' E23045'28'’
Description
The Augustowski Canal is a trans-border monument of technology, located in the territory
of two states: in the North-Eastern part of Poland and North-Western part of Belarus. The object is
of linear character. It is a navigable canal across the drainage divide, which connects the Vistula
River – through its tributaries (Narew and Biebrza) and a Neman tributary (Czarna Hańcza) – with
the Neman River. It takes advantage of a postglacial gully-shaped depression, which consists of the
band of Augustów lakes and the valleys of Biebrza, Netta, Czarna Hańcza and Neman Rivers.
The Augustowski Canal was constructed in this place by taking advantage in a symbiotic
manner of the existing natural terrain profile, rich in water races and lakes. As time went by, the
Augustowski Canal became an important factor, which had impact on the natural, economic and
cultural environment, which resulted in a close interlinking of the facility with the environment.
The Augustów Forest was to a considerable extent under the economic impact of the canal, and
both these elements were created and shaped by man. The area of the Augustów Forest under
discussion became a type of large landscape park. The Belarusian part of the canal is sparsely
inhabited, while the terrain to the North of the canal are characterised by a particularly interesting
natural profile, which has not experience a strong human intervention.
The cultural landscape of the Augustowski Canal zone is constituted by all natural, animate
and inanimate elements, as well as the element shaped by man. The natural layer is constituted by
forests, lakes and the terrain profile, while the cultural layer consists of monuments of building
engineering and architecture, town and rural configurations, afforested zones along roads lines, park
configurations and cemeteries.
Particular sequences of a dynamically arranged landscape (artificial lateral canal near the Netta
River, the sacral complex in Studziennicza, the urban landscape of Augustów town and of the
settlements within the canal zone, the technical lock facilities) are characterized by a perfect
introduction of buildings into the landscape composition shaped by natural conditions. The value of
the place is enhanced by the natural terrain profile and its vegetable cover.
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The Augustowski Canal consists of a 103.6 km long water-way, consisting of natural lakes
(Necko, Białe, Studzieniczne, Orle, Paniewo, Krzywe and Mikaszewo) and rivers (Czarna Hańcza,
Klonownica, Płaska (Sucha Rzeczka, Serwianka), Mikaszówka, Perkucia, Szlamica, Wołkuszanka,
Ostaszanka), connected by means of artificial excavations and hydrotechnical facilities (sluices,
weirs), and equipped with hauler paths along the water-way sections and a system of roads with
bridges, functionally coupled with the canal and the canal-supporting facilities. The water-way
leading through the waters of the seven lakes is 20.5 km long. The remaining sections of the canal
take advantage of the natural river courses and artificial excavations. The near-by Sajno and Serwy
lakes (within the object perimeter) and the Wigry Lake (outside the buffer zone) constitute a water
reserve for the canal water system.
Viewed in the context of the entire system of inland water-ways in this part of Europe, the
Augustowski Canal connects the Vistula River basin through the Neman River with the Baltic
harbours in Kuronska Bay, and with the Dnieper River basin – through the Oginski's canal, while
the Dnieper River is connected through the Bierezinski canal with the Dvina River. The Neman
River was planned to be connected with the Venta port through the Dubyssa and Venta Rivers.
The original intention of the entry application is aimed to protect the historical landscape of the
Augustowski Canal, which covers the monument itself – including the related facilities and
buildings – and the environments that have direct impact on the form and manner of human
activities on both sides of the border. The study considers both the international conditioning factors
and the local administrative divisions.
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The Augustowski Canal – description according to section position along the canal course
0.0 km – the connection of the canal with the Biebrza River, assumed to be the zero reference point.
The canal branches from Biebrza at the point 84.20 km away from its sources.
0.0-0.35 km – Cichy Canal. An artificially-shaped excavation, connecting Biebrza with the
Dębowo lock.
0.35 km – The Dębowo lock complex. It is a single lock with a road bridge. The water level
difference is 340 cm. The facility was constructed between 1826 and 1827. It was rebuilt after 1946.
In its vicinity, there is a water-gate weir, used to drive a small water power plant. The lock connects
with the Biebrza River through the canalized Netta River. The lock complex comprises the lock
operator’s household buildings, namely the operator’s house made of brick (constructed at the
beginning of 20th c) and farm buildings.
0.35 km – A water-gate weir (which used to be watermill sluice). The water fall is used by a small
water power plant.
0.35 – 10.95 km – The canal goes through a regulated Netta riverbed.
10.95 – 13.20 km – The canal (so-called New Canal) goes through an artificial excavation to the
Netta River. There is a hauling path on the right embankment.
13.20 km – The Sosnowo lock complex. The single concrete lock was constructed in 1948. A road
bridge runs over it. The water level difference is 290 cm. There is a concrete water-gate sluice near
the complex, used to release the excess of water gathered in Sosnowo-Borki station into the Netta
River. The average water level in the canal: 114.76 m above sea level, and in the Netta River:
112.80 m above sea level. The lock complex comprises the lock operator’s household buildings.
13.20 – 19.25 km – An artificial excavation, parallel to the Netta River. There are hauling paths on
both canal sides up to the Borki lock.
19.25 km - The Borki single lock, constructed in 1948. A road bridge runs over it. Water dam-up
level: 190 cm. There is a water-gate sluice near the complex, used to release the excess of water
gathered in Borki-Białobrzegi station into the Netta River. The lock complex comprises the lock
operator’s household buildings.
19.35 km – A concrete, water-gate weir, which provides the station with water from the Netta
River.
19.35-27.10 km - The canal runs through an artificial excavation, parallel to the Netta River. There
are hauling paths on both canal sides up to the Białobrzegi lock.
24.80 km – The Spichlerzysko release sluice (currently, out of operation), which releases the
excess of water gathered in the Borki - Białobrzegi station into the Netta River.
26.60 km – The canal connects with the outlet of the Białobrzegi weir.
27.10 km – The Białobrzegi single lock, constructed in the period 1959 - 1960. Water dam-up
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level: 210 cm. Originally, the lock was located at 26.60 km, in the vicinity of (parallel to) the
Białobrzegi weir. It was shifted in 1959. A water mill was constructed on the weir to take advantage
of the water falling down the lock. At present, the mill has been transformed into an inn. The lock
complex comprises the lock operator’s household buildings.
27.60 km – The Sajownica lock, aimed at releasing the excess of water gathered in the Białobrzegi
- Augustów station into the Sajno Lake.
31.70 km – A road bridge at the Łomża – Grodno road.
32.50 km – The Augustów single lock, destroyed during the WWII and reconstructed in 1947.
Water dam-up level: 220 cm. There is a harbour and a haven, accompanied by administrative and
harbour facilities constructed on an artificial peninsula. In direct vicinity of the lock, there is a onespan road bridge at the Augustów – Suwałki road. At the same kilometre, there is as damming-up
weir, which controls the outflow of water from the Necko Lake into the Sajno Lake. The dammingup is aimed at creating a reserve storage, which feeds the Augustów - Dębowo section of the
Augustowski Canal (through the Bystry Canal, the Sajno Lake and the Sojawnica - Netta River).
The dammed-up waters are also used for economic purposes by means of the watermill sluice,
which feeds water into a small water power plant. The facility used to be a watermill.
32.50 – 43.50 km – The canal route goes through the canalized Netta River and the Necko and
Białe lakes. The route through the Necko Lake is 1.6 km long, and through the Białe Lake – 6.7 km
long. An artificial canal constitutes the remaining sections. There is a hauling path along the bank
of the Białe Lake. The canalized Klonownica River (the shortest river in Poland) connects the
Necko Lake and the Białe Lake.
33.40 km – A road bridge of local importance.
36.40 km – A road bridge at the Szczebra - Suwałki - Augustów road (it is an element of a tourist
promenade in Augustów, constituted by the Mostowa street).
36.50 km – The only railway bridge, which crosses the Augustowski Canal at the Suwałki –
Jastrzębna – Białystok route.
43.50 km – A road bridge at the Augustów – Sejny route.
43.50 km – The Przewięź single lock. The original structure, erected at the time of construction of
the eastern canal section, has been maintained. Water dam-up level: under 1 m.
43.50 – 47.40 km – The route goes through short canals and the Studzieniczne Lake. At the
beginning of the section, a hauling path runs along the canal.
47.40 km – The Swoboda single lock. It is equipped with a small bridge (RC arch structure) of
local importance. Water dam-up level: almost 2 m.
47.40 – 57.00 km – The Swoboda lock is connected with the Gorczyca lock with the so-called
Czarnobrodzki Canal - the top section of the Augustowski Canal. There are partly preserved hauling
5
paths along both canal banks. The canal goes here through 2 small lakes: Swoboda and Gorczyckie.
The top section is provided with water from the Serwy Lake through an inlet located at 53.00
kilometre. The release canal is equipped with a sluice.
57,00 km – The Gorczyca single lock with a road bridge running across. The lock constitutes the
terminal of the top canal section. Water dam-up level: 290 cm. The release canal is equipped with a
sluice. The historical lock complex comprises the lock operator’s household buildings.
57.00 – 60.90 km – The section consists of short artificial canals, the Orlewo Canal and runs
through the Orle and Paniewo lakes. Along the entire canal section, there are remains of hauling
paths.
60.90 km – The two-lock Paniewo stepped lock. Water dam-up level: 665 cm. The lock was
reconstructed in the period 1974 - 1979. A road bridge of local importance runs above the lock. The
lock complex comprises the lock operator’s household buildings.
60.90-63.00 km – The section runs through the Krzywe Lake and the excavated canal into the
Mikaszewo Lake. There is a hauling path on the right bank.
63.00 km – The Perkuć single lock. A flashboard outlet is located at the side canal. Water dam-up
level: 295 cm. A road bridge of local importance runs above the lock. The lock complex comprises
the lock operator’s household buildings.
63.00 – 69.10 km – The canal route goes through a short canal, and then through Mikaszewo and
Mikaszewo Małe lakes, the Przekop Canal and the Mikaszówka pond. There is a hauling path on
the right bank.
69.10 km – The Mikaszówka single lock. The side canal is equipped with a flashboard weir made
of brick, with a small bridge across.
70.30 km – The Sosnówek single lock. Water dam-up level: 270 cm. The side canal is equipped
with a flashboard weir (outlet) made of mortar, with a small bridge across. The lock complex
comprises the lock operator’s household buildings.
70.50 km – The canal is connected with the Czarna Hańcza River through a short excavation. From
this point on, the canal goes through the canalized Czarna Hańcza riverbed. There is a hauling path
along the entire section length.
74.40 km – The Tartak single lock. Water dam-up level: 200 cm. A water-gate weir (outlet) made
of brick is located at the side canal. A road bridge of local importance runs above the lock. The lock
complex comprises the lock operator’s household buildings. The canal leads to the Kudrynki lock
through the Czarna Hańcza riverbed, with a hauling path on the right bank.
77.40 km – The Kudrynki single lock, crossed with a road bridge of local importance. Water damup level: 220 cm. A water-gate weir (outlet) made of brick is located at the side canal. The lock
complex comprises the lock operator’s household buildings. The canal leads to the Kurzyniec lock
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through the Czarna Hańcza riverbed, with a hauling path on the right bank.
80,00 km – The state border between Poland and Belarus runs along a 3.5 km section of the canal.
80.00 – 83.40 km – The section runs in the border zone between the Republic of Poland and the
Republic of Belarus.
81.75 km – The Kurzyniec single lock. Water dam-up level: 220 cm. The lock is located in the
border zone. The state border runs along the longitudinal axis of the lock. A water-gate weir (outlet)
made of brick is located at the side canal, within the territory of the Republic of Belarus.
83.40 km – The state border.
83.40 – 85.00 km – The canal section runs along the canalized Czarna Hańcza River.
85.00 km – The Wołkuszek single lock.
83.40 km – The Wołkuszek weir.
85.00 – 91.50 km - The canal goes through the canalized Czarna Hańcza riverbed. There are
remains of separate sections of the hauling path.
91.50 km – The Dąbrówka lock. Beside the lock, there is the Dąbrówka weir (outlet) located on the
release canal. Water dam-up level: 310 cm.
91.50 – 94.60 km - The canal goes through the canalized Czarna Hańcza riverbed. There are
remains of separate sections of the hauling path.
94.60 – 101.20 km – In Czortek settlement, the canal runs through an artificial excavation – the
Kurkul Canal – which channels almost all the water from the Czarna Hańcza River. The natural
Czarna Hańcza riverbed, devoid of the original water flow, turned into a set of small lakes
interconnected with streams. There are remains of separate sections of the hauling path.
100.00 km – The Kurkul weir acquired its form in 1935, and was renovated in 1988.
101.20 km – The Niemnowo triple lock is the last lock of the Augustowski Canal. Water dam-up
level: 980 cm. At the distance of about 1.5 km above the lock, there is the five-span Kurkul outlet
weir (100.00 km), used to release the excess of water from the Dąbrówka – Niemnowo station into
the riverbed of the natural water-course, which runs from Ostasza settlement an gives out into the
Neman River, above the connection with the Augustowski Canal. The lock is connected through an
excavation with the Neman River. There is a watchman’s house beside the lock.
101.20 – 103.60 km – A new connection of the canal with the Neman River through a section of the
old
Neman
riverbed,
which
has
been
regulated
in
the
period
2004-2006.
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Historical monuments along the Augustowski Canal
Hydrotechnical objects
The Augustowski Canal complex consists of the following hydrotechnical objects: locks,
weirs (outlets) and excavations. The site proposed to be included into the Wold Heritage List was
constructed strictly in accordance with the requirements of the technical culture of the time, which
gives it a major place among the achievements of the technical civilization of the first half of the
19th c.
The hydrotechnical structures, such as locks and weirs (outlets), are permanent constructions. The
lock walls were made of stone and faced with a layer of brick, joined with hydraulic lime mortar.
The elements of lock walls and wall heads that are most exposed to damages – such as abutments,
gate recesses, lock sills and top lock edges – were faced with cut sandstone or granite.
All walls and heads were usually founded on a pile bent, while the lock bottom, depending on the
subsoil, was made as a concrete invert or a timber bottom on pile bent. Oak wood and softwood was
used during the foundation construction works. The gates were made of oak wood (or softwood),
covered with iron reinforcement bars. The gates turned on pivots (at the bottom) and steel clamping
rings (the so-called top band) at the top. The gates were reinforced with iron braces.
The locks were filled in and emptied through openings (windows) in the gates, closed with butterfly
penstocks. The penstocks were driven with a small-pitch screw, which ensured their smooth and
slow movement. The lock gates are opened and closed as they used to be – by means of lever beams
(the so-called shafts).
The required water (dam-up) levels and excessive masses of water are managed by means of 23
sluices. The weirs (outlets) have different dimensions in the clear, depending on their location along
the canal.
The dimensions in the clear fall within the range between 1.64 m and 18.56 m. The dam-up levels
are analogous to the water dam-up levels at the sluices. Some sluices, with high dam-up levels, are
equipped with double penstocks. The penstocks were originally (and still are) driven by manual
crank-operated mechanisms. During the canal construction, all the sluices were made entirely of
timber, so that they had to be rebuilt after some time, to ensure high durability. The timber
abutments were replaced with concrete or stone ones. Timber lock bottoms were also replaced with
concrete ones. The reconstruction was carried out in the ‘30s of the 20th c by means of the current
materials, so that they illustrate the development of the technical thought and culture and constitute
a continuation and heritage of the technology of the time. There are also multi-water-gate weirs
along the canal, e.g. in Rygol across the Szlamica River and in Dębowo.
Out of the total of 101.2 km of the Augustowski Canal, man-made water-ways cover over 40 km
(plus additional 2.4 km in the Belarusian part, constructed between 2004 and 2005).
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The earth works during excavations were carried out by physical labour of workers, standing in the
water, as it was possible to realize them only by means of simple tools. Workers used timber spades
with an iron-reinforced edge. They also used metal-sheet spades. The timber spades were used by
volunteers, who came to work with their own tools. The excavations cut through a sandy terrain
with undulating profile, occasionally covered with woods (the section to the East from Augustów),
and waterlogged terrain in direct vicinity of the Netta River and its tributaries. The terrain
conditions themselves posed considerable difficulties in excavating canals.
The banks of canal sections going through loose grounds were reinforced with a layer of heavy soils
mixed with clay and sewn with grass. In the past, as the speed of ships, barges and rafts hauled by
animals and men was low, the embankment-damaging impact of the waves generated by navigating
ships was rather low. As time went by and the speed of vessels increased, the embankments started
to be reinforced with faggot. After the WWII, the latter was partly replaced with RC reinforcing
elements. However, in the ‘70s of the 20th c, the Regional Water Balance Management Office
responsible for the canal resumed the conservation works of the faggot-reinforced embankments
and replaced the concrete elements with natural ones. Trees form an important element in the canal
reinforcement. In a number of the water-way sections, the root habit “interlaces” with the faggot.
Originally, trees were planted at a certain distance from the canal (outside the hauling paths), not so
much to reinforce the embankments, but to improve the navigation conditions. Trees and hedges
protected the canal effectively against winds, that could generate waves. Both in the past and now,
the faggot made of willow whites have been used, as it strikes roots and creates along a canal a
natural hedge, which requires to be periodically trimmed. Occasionally, beavers help men in
carrying this task out.
Bridges
The original bridges crossing the canal were made of timber. The characteristics of this
material combined with the climatic conditions made it necessary for such bridges to be repaired
and modernized. It was the development of wheel transport for military purposes – developed at the
turn of 19th and 20th centuries and in the 20th c – that forced the canal administration to replace the
bridges along the main routes.
Originally, 14 bridges crossed the canal: 10 drawbridges (including 8 crane bridges and 2 worm
bridges) and 4 pontoon bridges. 65 permanent bridges of varying length – occasionally
considerable, up to 40 m – were constructed along hauling paths and across some of the weirs.
Some were constructed on piles, others – on laying beds. None of the 14 original bridges has
survived until our times. The (crane) drawbridges were located in: Augustów, Klonownica,
Przewięź and Gorczyca, in Kurzyniec, Dąbrówka, near Czortek and in Niemnowo. A bridge of the
type was equipped with counterweights which counterbalanced the weight of platforms, while
9
increasing their strength. Originally, the bridges were made exclusively of timber. They consisted
of two platforms rotating along horizontal axes, secured to the lock or abutment walls. The
platforms were lowered by means of a double-arm crane, consisting of two connected beams, which
rotated around a horizontal axle, secured to two columns braced with slanting supports or cables.
The bridges in Augustów and Klonownica along the Kaunas road (the Warsaw-Petersburg route),
the original bearing columns were made of brick. The bearing columns made of timber were
replaced with pre-cast concrete structures at the beginning of the 20th c. Such columns – bearing
the bridge platforms – have been maintained in Kurzyniec and Dąbrówka.
After the damages caused by the WWII, the rebuilt bridges had a very simple, modern
structure, imposed by the post-war economic potential and the current needs to be met. The lock
walls were equipped with superstructures, which support bridge abutments. The supporting
structure was made of I-section beams, covered with timber boards. As time passed, the board were
replaced with RC slabs. Modern RC structures were erected across the sluices in Augustów,
Przewięź and Gorczyca. They are elements of roads of national and international importance.
The conservation works in the Kurzyniec lock include the reconstruction of the drawbridge, which
shall support the cross-border tourist pedestrian and bicycle traffic. There are many traditionalstructure timber bridges across numerous rivers and streams in the area. These are systematically
renovated by their administrators: National Forests Inspectorate and the Water-ways Supervisory
Office in Augustów (Regional Water-Balance Management Board).
Hauling paths
Hauling paths or burlak paths [the name of Russian haulers of river boats] were constructed
along the canal itself. They are present along almost the entire course, with the exception of banks
of some lakes crossed by the canal. Usually, the hauling paths run along only one side of a
navigation route, depending on the terrain profile. They are on the embankments of both sides of
the Canal only in the Augustów – Sosnowo section. The total length of hauling paths reached 110
kilometres. The paths were not hardened. As they were about 4 meters wide, they made it easy to
use draught animals to haul vessels along the canal. Smaller vessels were hauled by men.
Buildings for canal operators
As the canal construction proceeded, buildings for canal operators were constructed along
the facility. Originally, 24 canal and lock support buildings were constructed out of timber and
brick. An example of this old architecture can be found on 29 Listopada 5a in Augustów. The
present building is a reconstruction of an object, which existed until the ‘80s of the 20th c at this
place. The building has a timber carcass structure, covered with plaster both inside and outside
(now, it is covered with boarding). The form of the building draws on classicist architecture.
The operator’s house by the Tartak lock was most probably constructed at the time of construction
10
of the lock itself. It is made of brick, covered with plaster. Originally, it was the office of the
supervisor of Hańcza division, which was later moved to Wołkuszek. In its front, there is a portico
supported on two columns. The building is covered with a hip roof. The building is classicist in its
form. The currently reconstructed buildings for canal operators draw on the architecture of the past
(Przewięź, Paniewo, Rygol).
The watchman's houses in Dębowo, Mikaszówka, Niemnowo, Dąbrówka and Kurkul (the last two
in the territory of Belarus) were constructred at the beginning of the 20th c in Ruthenian-Bysantine
style.
The shaping of the architecture of constructed buildings along the Polish part of the Augustowski
Canal is an example of a conscious implementation of certain models, which can identified as
national architecture, based on the architecture of manors and on folk architecture.
Archaeological monuments
The so-called flat positions constitute the spots of archaeological importance in the Polish
territory. The following are of special scientific importance: the camps of Świderska culture of late
Palaeolith in Miklaszówka, the neolithic and early medieval settlements in Paska, the sets of stoneage settlements and camps in Białobrzegi nd Polków, the multi-cultural position and the iron forge
in Gorczyca and the crematory cemetery in Neta. Among the above-mentioned positions, there are
no objects which stand out in the landscape.
On the Belarusian side, scientists discovered archaeological remains of stone-age camps in the
vicinity of Niemnowo village and below the Wołkuszek lock, on the right canal bank. Particular
attention should be paid to the Nyamnova 1 position, where remains of a Mesolithic burial were
first to be found within the territory of the current state of Belarus.
Rural spatial configurations
The rural spatial configurations inscribed themselves harmoniously into the cultural
landscape of the canal zone during the historical process of their shaping. The majority of rural
settlements in the area in question has been developed in linear arrangements along one or both
sides of the canal. On the Polish side, dispersed development can be found only in the villages
Gliniski, Czarny Bród and Promiski and in the small settlements Obuchowizna and Świderek.
On the Belarusian side, the following villages established in the 16th c maintained the single-street
linear form: Osoczniki, Soniczy, Gołowienczyce, Horaczki.
On the Polish side, the cultivated fields take the form of bands of variable width, or that of blocks in the part of the village with colony-like development. The present settlement structure of the area
is a result of long processes of social and economic transformations, which affected the area of
Suwalskie Lake District and Augustowska Plain primarily in the 19th and 20th centuries (agrarian
and economic reforms of the first half of the 19th century, the affranchisement of peasants in 1864,
11
integration processes after 1857 and the regulations carried out in the 20th century) and in the
second half of 20th century. . Considerable changes in the arrangement of fields started to take place
in the territory of Belarus in the '40s of the 20th century, when the state introduced the large-area
system of land management in cooperative or state-owned farms (kolkhozes and sovkhozes).
In the first half of the 19th century, the linear villages with the three-field system of farming,
characteristic for the area up to the line of the Neman River, were thoroughly rebuilt. They were
replaced with villages characterized by linear development along roads – the so-called single-tier
villages or linear-colony villages – and band-like arrangement of fields. As time went by, the
initially dispersed and single-sided development of villages became denser, while the
apportionments of fields broke up into smaller units.
An average farm in the area consisted of a house, one building for livestock, a barn, a shed, a cellar
and a well. The settlements were rectangular in shape. The houses face the roads with their front
walls or gables, while the farming buildings are at the sides and the barn closes the rectangle. The
farmsteads are accompanied by garden-plots and orchards, located in the front or in the back.
Two villages distinguish themselves in the are in question, namely: Jagłowo and Mogielnice.
Jagłowo was destroyed during the WW II. Yet, it was reconstructed according to the original
development. The farms have the form of very elongated rectangles, as the houses are separated
from barns and, oftentimes, from the rest of farming buildings with gardens and orchards. The main
road runs behind the farms, along barns. This is a relic of a typical arrangement and development of
linear villages. The form of the village Mogielnice is similar to that of Jagłowo, but the village has
not been destroyed since the affranchisement, so that many buildings are original 19th century
constructions. Barns are made of field stones. Similarly, the granaries have an interesting stonebased structure. In the Eastern part of the canal zone, there appeared a new phenomenon, namely
the dynamic development summer bungalows. City-dwellers purchase not only old, abandoned
farms, but also (primarily) farming lands, which are transformed into recreation plots.
On the Belarusian side, the typical linear village development was maintained. Intensive changes
took place only after 1945, and only in the Sopoćkino town, adjacent to the buffer zone.
Country architecture
Traditional country architecture in the area of the Augustowski Canal zones takes forms,
that are typical for the entire Augustów Plain, up to the line of the Neman River.
Softwood (pine and, rarely, spruce) was the basic construction material, used to erect entire farms:
houses, farming buildings and fences. Foundations and underpinning works were made of field
stones. Clay was used to a lesser extent. Only a few farming buildings constructed in the claycompacting technology remained until today, for instance in Mogilnice and Polkowo (in Poland).
Timber walls of houses and farming buildings have corner-notched log structure, with corners
12
joined with dovetail halvings, or they can have (less frequently) a frame structure consisting of
grooved columns, which accommodate wall deals. The buildings erected later, such as barns, sheds
and tobacco drying houses, have skeleton structures timber boarding.
The dominant roof structure in the area is the gable roof with rafter-collar-beam structure. They
used to be covered with layered wood shavings or straw, replaced with eternit, sheet metal or tar
board. One can observer, however, a return to covering roofs of (recreational) summer cottages with
layered wood shavings.
The building layout is also typical for the entire region. Houses are asymmetrical, sesqui-axial and
bipartite (houses of raskolniks in Gabowe Grądy and Bor are small, single-axial, with two or three
rooms). Barns - with a single thrashing floor; buildings for livestock - with several rooms and
separate entrances.
Only housing buildings were traditionally adorned with ornaments. The few 19th century houses
that have been maintained until today (Poland: Mogilnice, Gorczyca, Rygol; Rudawka; Belarus:
Radziwilki, Lesnaja, Sonicze, Golowienczyce, Osoczniki, Horaczki) are decorated by limewashing
external walls without timbering, coating quoins with pilaster strips and mounting panel window
shutters.
The houses became richly ornamented after the WW I. In more affluent farms, the facades of
houses were covered with timber boarding and painted with oil paints. Quoins were still covered
with pilaster strips. The boarding of roof gables was arranged in various patterns, such as diamond,
herring bone, spider web or ray. Openwork label moulds in a wide range of patterns were placed
above windows. Milled doors were also richly ornamented, while the entire structure was adorned
with profiled band courses and laths. The house bodies were characterized by ornamented porches
and verandas, located at the house front.
Among objects characteristics for this area, one finds steam baths (called bania) and tobacco drying
rooms, still maintained in the villages in the Southern part of the canal zone (Mogilnice, Jaziewo,
Polkowo, Wrotki). The steam baths are small, timber or brickwork buildings with one or two
rooms, equipped with a stone hearth.
The tobacco drying rooms, made exclusively of timber, stand out among village buildings, due to
their volume and roof type. The middle part of the roof is elevated above the lateral surfaces by
means of a type of an elbowed wall with openings, which ensure easy air circulation.
Detailed field examinations lead to the conclusion, that there are numerous timber objects with
traditional features, erected between the wars or after 1945, among the buildings in almost all the
villages in the area, with the exception of Białobrzegi.
Tourism-related objects
The development of modern tourism in the Augustowski Canal zone commenced before the
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World War I, when the first lodging-houses, hotels and shelter-homes for tourists were constructed.
The most important objects of the type: The "Nad Jeziorami" Hotel, designed by the distinguished
architect, Maciej Nowicki (1939) (the UN building in New York is his best known design), in the
style which is based on Scandinavian functionalism. The building is located at the top of a hill,
which descends to the Necko Lake. The high pines at the steep lake bank screen the building almost
completely, while the grey-yellow brick used for facades allows the building to integrate with the
landscape. The Oficerski Yacht Klub in Augustów was designed by Juliusz Nagórskiego in the
modernist style of the so-called naval architecture (1935). The building – integrating with the green
forest, as the "Nad Jeziorami" Hotel – is an example of the pro-ecological thinking of the architects
of that time.
On the Belarusian side, the palace and park complex in Swiack was constructed at the end of 18 th
century. It is of special importance, in spite of its location, away from the Augustowski Canal and
the buffer zone. The palace belonged to the Wołłowicz family. The palace was designed by the
Italian architect, Giuseppe Sacco (1735-1798), as ordered by Józefa Wołłowicz, a Grodno Marshal.
It combines baroque and classicist features. It was rebuilt between the wars according to the design
prepared by Oskar Sosnowski. The complex consists of farm buildings and 200 hectares of a
landscape park in the English style, with ponds, which borders on the neighbouring forest. Only a
part of the park with bead ponds, the brick manor and a part of farming buildings remained of the
manor complex in Radziwilki.
Roads and monuments of technology
Many roads in the area existed before the construction of the canal. The canal zone contains
a number of roads constructed in the 16th century, e.g. the road between Dąbrówka lock and Kalety
village, coinciding with the 16th-century Grodno-Sejny road. The canal builders integrated the
existing roads into the communication system, which services the water way.
In the canal zone and in its direct vicinity, there is a large number of technical facilities, which are
not directly related to the functioning of the canal. As water circulation was controlled, outside the
lock circulation, it became possible to construct water mills in Białobrzegi (timber structure) and in
Augustów (destroyed by fire in 1999). The water fall power is used by small electric power plants
in Dębowo, Augustów and Rygol.
On the Belarusian side, two objects of the type survived until now: the starch production plant - an
element of the farm in Radziwilki, and the brick-kiln in Rynkowce.
Monuments of sacral art
Sacral art monuments bear testimony to religious differentiation, characteristic for the
borderland between Poland and Belarus. The historical and artistic value of the objects varies.
Among the most interesting monuments, one finds: the sanctuary complex in Studziennicza, the
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church complex in Mikaszówka, the chapel in Rudawka. The sanctuary in Studziennicza is
estimated to date back to the mid-18th century. Originally, there was only a chapel – a hermitage on
a small island in Studziennicza. In the second half of the 19th century, it was replaced by a grander
brick chapel, where the miraculous picture of the Holy Virgin is kept. The island is connected
through a dyke with the land, where a timber church was constructed in the '40s of the 19 th century.
At present, the complex consists of the above-mentioned objects and a timber presbytery, a parish
house, a bell tower and other auxiliary objects.
The landscape of the canal zoned, on both sides of the border, is scattered with numerous
crosses and wayside shrines or tree shrines. They are most often located at the ends of villages (at
these places, the deceased receive the last farewells before being seen off to the cemetery), at the
cross-roads and at the "haunted" places.
The urban configuration of the historical buildings in Augustów boasts of the parish church under
the invocation of the Holiest Jesus' Heart and the Holy Virgin of Czestochowa, which used to be the
Garrison Orthodox Church, constructed in 1912.
Among monuments of architecture on the Belarusian side, one finds the parish church in
Teolin (Sapockinie), where there was an Orthodox Uniate Church already in 1612. A church for a
Catholic parish was constructed. After the January uprising in 1867, the church was handed over to
the Orthodox parish. In 1919, the church was returned to Catholics. The second temple (made of
timber) was purchased and transferred to the parish in Pawłówka Nowa (Poland, Przerośl
commune), where it remains until today. The church was rebuilt many times.
Cemeteries
There are seventeen cemeteries in the buffer zone of the Augustowski Canal, on the Polish
side. Historical cemeteries underscore the cultural differentiation of the land, the historical and
population nationality changes. Twelve of the cemeteries are of military character, and they are
oftentimes characterized by a clear religious denomination profile. Four of them are listed in the
registry of monuments.
Among cemeteries of particular religious denominations, particular attentions should be paid to the
Roman Catholic cemetery in Studziennicza (19th century, interesting timber and iron crosses of late
19th century), and the Orthodox cemetery in Gabowe Grądy, with a large WW I section and a
monument, commemorating the village pacification by Germans on 18th March 1943. The
remaining cemeteries of particular religious denominations are found in Mikaszówka village (1 st
quarter of the 20th century) and Rudawka village, with graves of insurgents of the mid-19th century.
These are modest village cemeteries.
Their main value consists in their historical significance. The cemetery in Rudawka has a large WW
I section, while the one in Mikaszówka contains graves of AK soldiers, who fell fighting with
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Germans in 1944.
The group of war cemeteries consists of objects related to World War I and World War II. The WW
I cemeteries are located in Białobrzegi, Macharce, Mikaszówka, Serski Las, Sosnowo and
Studzieniczna. The Serski Las and Macharce are the greatest ones. In each, there rest several
hundred soldiers of the German and Russian armies, who fell in February 1915. The WW II
cemeteries are primarily mass graves of civilians murdered by Germans or Russians (in one case).
In two villages, there are cemeteries or graves of the Red Army soldiers. The largest number of
victims rest in Rygola. There rest about 3 thousand soviet soldiers, who died or were killed in the
local POW camp in 1941. The mass graves of AK soldiers in Sucha Rzeczka and of the resistance
movement and hostages in Serwy have the character of national memory monuments. The grave of
the Polish Army soldiers in Płaska – murdered by soviet tankmen in September 1939 – has the same
character.
The greatest necropolis in Augustów is located in Zarzecze street and consists of the Roman
Catholic cemetery, the Orthodox cemetery, the war cemetery of the Red Army soldiers and the
remains of the Jewish cemetery. In Waryńskiego street in Augustów, there is a small Jewish
cemetery, where deceased inhabitants of the local ghetto (established by German invaders in 1941
and functioning until October 1942) were buried.
The biggest and most valuable necropolis on the Belarusian side is located in Sopockiny.
The cemetery contains Neo-Ghothic chapels of Józef Górski and his wife, Julia of the Dziekonski
family, who owned Radziwiłki and Sviacko, and the chapel of Dziekońscy, who owned Balla
Wielka. There is also a section of PO volunteers, who fell during the fights with Lithuanians in
October 1919. There are several graves of the Polish-Soviet war of 1920. There are also graves of
Polish soldiers and officers, who fell during the fights in 1939, a mass grave of the town inhabitants
taken hostage and murdered in June 1944 by Germans.
In the period 1944-1945, the canal zone witnessed the exhumation of the bodies of soviet soldiers
and officers, who died in the area in 1941 and 1944. The bodies were buried in a mass grave in the
centre of Sapockinie.
Military architecture
There are several defensive and military architecture objects in t he canal zone, namely
permanent RC structures and remains of defensive earth works.
In the direct vicinity of the canal, one finds Polish bunkers of 1939. Near Bystry Canal in
Augustów, the bunker ruins were transformed into the "War - never again" monument. There are
also two bunkers in Gliniska and three in Promiski. Numerous trenches and timber-earth shelters
are now hardly visible as depressions in the ground.
In the period 1939-1941, Soviets erected the line defences known under the name the "Molotov's
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line". The works on the line had not completed before the outbreak of the Grerman-Soviet war (22nd
June 1941). There remain elements of bunkers near villages Sonicze and Sapockinie. The defences
were destroyed during the fighting with Germans.
Occupations of inhabitants
There is no industry in the nominated area, with the exception of small industrial plants
(mineral water bottling plant, boat and sailboat production plants) with low environmental impact,
which function in the buffer zone. At present, the rural population of the canal zone earns its living
in agriculture and tourism. In the Southern part of the zone, the rural population earns its living
primarily by agricultural activities (primarily milk stock breeding). In the Eastern part, the
population earns its living both in agriculture and agro-tourism. Moreover, the seasonal or
permanent work in forests is an additional activity, commonly pursued by the local population.
Picking the fruits of the forest, for sale or household purposes, is another additional activity, that
has been practiced for a long time in the area. As there are numerous lake and rivers, fishing was
always popular among the local population, practiced for household purposes. Professional
fishermen always constituted a negligible percent of the local population. On the other hand, rafting
– floating of timber by the canal commenced in the '60s of the 20th c – was always an important
source of income for numerous villagers from the eastern part of the canal zone.
Another important occupation related to the canal consists in activities for water tourism,
aimed both at single tourists and groups (hiring out boats and canoes; organization of canoe rides),
and in tourist rides on passenger ships.
In the canal zone, the population continues the boatbuilding tradition based on traditional materials
and technologies (the so-called paddling boats produced by local craftsmen) and on modern
materials (canoes, boats and sailing boats made by specialized companies of plastic materials).
On the Belarusian side, the main occupations are: work in forests, agriculture and (recently)
picking fruits of the forest for sale.
Natural environment of the Augustowski Canal and the buffer zone
The Augustów Forest is the dominant landscape-forming element which – together with the
neighbouring forests of the Poland-Lithuania-Belarus borderland – forms one of the biggest forest
complexes in Europe. Forest clearings are occupied by rural enclaves and settlements. The natural
environment is dominated by forests, lakes, waterlogged meadows and peat lands.
The canal runs through the area characterised by the lowest air and water pollution level in this part
of Europe.
The terrain profile has been formed by rather recent geological processes, related to glacier
movement. The geological conditions of the most external ground layers, which influence the
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terrain profile, as well as soils and water profile of the Augustów Forest were shaped by the
Scandinavian continental glacier, primarily during the last Vistula glaciation in the area (named
after the main river of Poland, but also known as the Neman glaciation). The glaciation lasted for
about 80 thousand years and ended 12 thousand years ago.
The geomorphologic profile consists of loose rocks (different types of sands and gravels, with
boulders and glacial till) deposited directly by the glacier (glacial accumulation), formed primarily
as bottom and end moraines. These rocks with varying properties are spread as a mosaic over the
area, while overlapping with each other in the vertical cross-section. The majority of the forest area,
included in the Augustów Plain, is located over sands and gravels (outwashes). The formations
were deposited in the foreland of the melting glacier by streams of waters flowing from inside the
ice cap.
The climate of this part of Europe is characterised by clear features of the continental
climate. On observes here long and frosty winters, a snow cover stable for almost a hundred years, a
relatively short early-spring period, the shortest vegetation period (about 190 days) and the lowest
annual average air temperature (about 6°C). Summers are hot and dry, and the temperature reaches
35°C. The number of sunny days is 180 over the year.
The canal zone is divided by the drainage divide between Vistula and Neman. The Czarna Hańcza
River, with the biggest tributaries: Marycha and Wolkuszanka, is the main river of the Neman
drainage basin, covering about 60% of the Forest. In the area, there are also smaller water courses
connecting to the Czarna Hańcza River, such as Wierśnianka, Kalna, Maleszówka, as well as lakes
and water-logged areas. Among the larger forest lakes in the Neman drainage basin, one should list:
Wigry – 21.87 km2, Pierty – 2.38 km2, Serwy – 4.60 km2 and Pomorze – 2.97 km2. On both sides
of the border, there is a number of small relic dystrophic lakes without outflow.
The Vistula drainage basin covers a smaller (about 40%) South-Western part of the area. The waters
flow to Vistula through Biebrza and Narew rivers. The most important rivers of this part:
Lebiedzianka, which discharges directly into Biebrza, and Blizna and Rospuda rivers, which
connect to Biebrza through the Netta River. The greatest lakes of the Vistula drainage basin: Sajno
– 5.25 km2, Białe Augustowskie – 4.85 km2, Necko – 4.11 km2, Studzieniczne – 2.50 km2, Kolno
– 2.75 km2 and Blizno – 2.41 km2.
The Vistula drainage basin is connected to the Neman drainage basin through the Augustowski
Canal, which takes advantage of the parallel series of lakes in the central part of the Forest and is
supplied with water from the Serwy Lake, located in the vicinity of the highest section of the canal
route.
All water reservoirs, including marshes, peat lands and small dystrophic lakes are of huge
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importance for the entire natural environment. They are separate ecosystems, which increase the
biodiversity of the landscape and constitute water storage reservoirs for extensive neighbouring
lands with mineral soils. They are of particular importance in these seasons, when the evaporation
from the earth surface and water consumption by plants are much higher than the level of rainfall.
The soils of the area in question started to form only after the withdrawal of the glacier. One
finds here primarily light and sandy soils. At greater depths, the soils are characterized by a
considerable content of calcium and magnesium, especially in the gravel layers (pH about 8.0),
while the highest acidity is characteristic for the organic layer (pH between 3.6 and 5.0).
Depending on the actual superposition of the soil-formation process and the effect of former rusting
process, the rusty pod soils, rusty soils and rusty-brown soils are found in the forests on both sides
of the Poland-Belarus border. In the most damp, marshy sites, where the ground water level does
not drop below 40 cm, one finds soils of high, intermediate and low peat lands, as well as spots of
silt-boggy soils.
Flora
Near the end of the Ice Age, about 14 thousand years ago, the foreland of the glacier in the
discussed area was covered with treeless tundra. As time went by, there started to appear clusters of
birches, pines and willows, which gradually turned into loose pine and birch forests. Pine mixed
with birch and asp, rowan and willow, and later: with hazel, constituted the forests in the first
Holocene intervals: the Pre-Boreal and the Boreal ones.
In the following (hitherto hottest) Atlantic interval, which lasted between eight and five thousand
years ago, the land was covered with mixed deciduous stands, with oak, elm, lime and ash trees.
Pines and willows maintained their positions in the leanest sandy soils. The stands of intermediate
soil fertility were covered by oak-pine mixed woods, while water-logged depressions were taken in
possession by alder trees. At the time, spruce became more prominent, and hazel gained a higher
position.
The current Sub-Atlantic interval, which has been lasting for about 2.4 thousand years, has been
relatively cold, which was especially clear during the so called "small ice age", between the 13th
century and the mid-19th century. The main types of original forests of the Sub-Atlantic interval are
wood communities dominated by pines, but with locally considerable share of spruce and an
admixture of birch and hazel trees on low peat lands. Among these forests, located on more fertile
soils, one could find mixed forests with a high share of deciduous trees, especially oak.
The vegetation of the canal zone is characteristic for the North-Eastern Europe. It is
dominated by moss-grown coniferous pine-and-spruce forests, with large areas of peat lands. About
1000 species of vascular plants, ranging from boreal species and those characteristic for arctic flora,
to the species, which are characteristic for the Mediterranean zone. One can find here late-glacial
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and post-glacial relic species. Among them, one finds: the arctic dwarf birch (Betula humilis), the
small cranberry (Oxycoccus microcarpus), the yellow marsh saxifrage (Saxifraga hirculus) and the
chord sedge (Carex chordorrchiza). The marsh tea (Ledum palustre) or the twinflower (Linnaea
borealis) are also considered to be relics of the last glaciation.
Among the species of Southern origin, one finds: the snowdrop anemone (Anemone sylvestris), the
pasqueflowers (Pulsatilla patens, Pulsatilla pratensis), the peach-leaved bellflower (Campanula
persicifolia) and the sand pink (Dianthus arenarius).
There is also a numerous group of rare and endangered plants. Among the most precious
ones, one can name the endemic musk orchid (Herminium monorchis), found in peat land in the
Rospuda valley, and the flax dodder (Cuscuta epilinum). The following species are protected by law
in Poland: the mezereon (Daphne mezereum), the Martagon lily (Lilium martagon), the creeping
lady's tresses (Goodyera repens), the large yellow foxglove (Digitalis grandiflora), the prince's pine
(Chimaphila umbellata), as well as clubmoss species (Lycopodium annotinum, Lycopodium
clavatum, Diphasiastrum complanatum, Huperzia selago).
Fungi
The world of fungi is equally rich. One can find here protected such species as: the yellow
morel and the black morel (Morchella esculenta, Morchella elata), the cauliflower mushroom
(Sparassis crispa), the stinkhorn (Phallus impudicus) and a simple variety of lichens (Usnea sp.).
The fungi growing on decaying trees (polypores) constitute a large group. Once can mention here
the pine polypore (Phellinus pini) or the red banded polypore (Fomitopsis pinicola), which can
grow to a really impressive size on dead spruces. Many of the fungi are picked and used in local
cuisine, for instance: King Bolete (Boletus edulis), the chanterelle (Cantharellus cibarius), the Bay
Bolete (Xerocomus badius).
Fauna
Over two thousand of animal species has been reported to live in the Augustów Forest. The
world of insects has the most numerous representatives. There are numerous boreal species. In the
peat lands amid the Augustów Forest, one finds the only biotope of the rare Oeneis jutta butterfly in
Poland. Among other "relic" species of butterflies living here, one can mention Boloria aquilonaris
and Boloria pales. The rare bumble-bee species Bombus jonellus can also be found here.
The world of vertebrates is equally rich. Over 30 species of fish, 12 species of amphibians, 5
species of reptiles, about 230 species of birds and over 40 species of mammals have been reported
to inhabit the area.
The following species of fish are most characteristic for the local lakes: the powan
(Coregonus lavaretus), the European white fish (Coregonus albula) and the smelt sparling
(Osmerus eperlanus). They inhabit deep and clear water reservoirs. In 1996, Phoxinus percnurus
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gdaniensis was reported to be found in small dystrophic lakes in Belarus, namely in the Sawiejek
Lake, and it is the only confirmed endemic in Belarus, where the species can be found. In the
Augustowski Canal itself, one can find the brook trout (S. Trutta morfa fario trutta) in the
Belarusian part and a fast-growing population of the grayling (Thymallus thymallus) in Poland and
Belarus.
Among endangered species of amphibians, one can mention the tree frog (Hyla arborea). As
far as reptiles are concerned, the population of the adder (Vipera berus) is constantly decreasing.
Among birds, over 170 species have been considered to have their breeding ground in the
primeval forest. The presence of numerous boreal species is due to the geographic location, as in the
case of other groups of organisms. The following can be named among the typically northern
species: the heathbird (Tetrao urogalis), the black grouse (Lyrurus tetrix) and the hazel hen
(Tetrastes bonasia), Tengmalm's owl
(Aegolius funereus), the fieldfare (Turdus pilaris), the
goldeneye (Bucephala clangula) and the diver goose (Mergeus merganser). As the area of the forest
is vast, the place can become a nesting ground for birds that are typically found deep in forest lands,
such as the large predator, the eagle owl (Bubo bubo), or the black stork (Ciconia nigra) and the
three-toed woodpecker (Picoides tridactylus).
Among predator birds, the buzzard (Buteo buteo) has the larges population, estimated to cover
about 100 couples. The crane (Grus grus) is a species very characteristic or the marshes and
meadows inside the forests, where almost 80 couples of the bird nest in the early spring. The
density of the the raven (Corvus corax) population in Augustów Forest is the highest in Poland, as it
reaches over 16 couples per 100 km2.
Due to its unprecedented significance for the birds nesting in the area, the Augustów Forest has
been considered a bird refuge of European status, on the basis of the bird directive of the EU.
Among mammals, the most characteristic species are: the Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber) and
the Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra), very popular in the Belarusian part. The boreal snow hare (Lepus
timidius) is much rarer and lives in dense forest areas and peat lands. Not even a score of
individuals of the very rare Northern lynx (Felis lynx) live within the are of the primeval forests.
The population of the wolf (Canis lupus) is estimated to reach about 30 individuals. Three nonnative species of mammals adapted themselves to live in the forests: the musk-rat (Ondatra
zibethica), the American mink (Mustela vision) and the racoon dog (Nyctereutes procynoides).
A considerable number of deer is reported to be found in the Augustów Forest, including: the
Western roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) with the population of about 3500 individuals, and the elk
(Cervus elaphus) with the population of about 1600 individuals. Moreover, there are about 900
individuals of the wild boar (Sus scrofa). The moose (Alces alces) is a much rarer and the biggest
mammal in the forest. Over 300 individuals live in the forest, while there are over 600 in the
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Biebrzański National Park.
Forests
The Scotch pine (Pinus sylvestris) is the main forest-forming species in the Augustów Forest
at present. The forests dominated by the species cover over 75% of the area of the Augustów Forest.
The forests dominated by the European spruce (Picea abies) cover the area of almost 8%, while the
forest stands dominated by the common alder (Alnus glutinosa) and by the birch (Betula verrucosa,
Betula pubescens) cover 7.4% and 6,3% of the Augustów Forest, respectively. The forest stands
dominated by the common oak (Quercus robur) cover the area of almost 2%. Among the trees that
appear naturally in the Augustów Forest, one can name: the aspen (Populus tremula), the littleleaf
linden (Tilia cordata), the European hornbeam (Carpinus betulus), the Norway maple (Acer
platanoides), the European ash (Fraxinus excelsior), the Wych elm and the white elm (Ulmus
glabra, Ulmus Laevis), the rowan (Sorbus aucuparia) and several species of willows (Salix sp.).
The brushwood consists of the following species: the common juniper (Juniperus communis), the
alder buckthorn (Frangula alnus), the hazel (Corylus avellana), the common snowball (Viburnum
opulus), various hawthorns (Crataegus sp.), the evonymus species: Evonymus europeaeus and
Evonymus verrucosus, the bird cherry (Padus avium), the dwarf honeysuckle (Lonicera xylosteum)
and the bloodtwig dogwood (Cornus sanguinea). The following non-native species were introduced
as a result of woodland management activities: the beech tree (Fagus silvatica), various species of
the larch (Larix sp.), the red oak (Quercus rubra), the boxelder (Acer negundo), and among shrubs:
the hagberry (Padus serotina) and the rugosa rose (Rosa rugosa). According to the adopted
principle of maintaining biodiversity and protecting native plants, the non-native species of trees
and shrubs are gradually eliminated.
Forest communities of the Augustów Forest are clearly differentiated along parallels of
declination, which results from the geological structure, the quality of soils and the terrain profile.
The forest site types differentiated for economic purposes reflect well the spatial distribution and
proportions of the natural forest communities.
In natural conditions, the pedunculate oak and the spruce are the main forest-forming species,
followed by the pine. In the modern, mostly non-natural forest stands of the Augustów Forest,
however, the oak only rarely assumes the dominant position. An important function is played here
by admixtures of other species, primarily the littleleaf linden and the Norway maple and others. The
aspen is most common among pioneering species, while the rich underbrush is dominated by the
hazel (Corylus avellana). In the undergrowth, one finds: the liverwort (Hepatca nobilis), the wood
anemone (Anemone nemorosa), the addersmeat (Stellaria holostea), the spring pea (Lathyrus
vernus) and other species.
The stands of alder swamp play a significant role. They are most frequent in the depressions of the
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Southern part of the discussed area, within the Biebrzańska Valley. The alder swamp is a
periodically flooded peat land, where the forest stands consists of alder, with an admixture of the
downy birch and, occasionally, the spruce and ash trees. A stand of ash tree swamps are found in
terrain depressions with a slightly faster flow of periodically surfacing ground waters, where the
soil contains more silt, i.e. small organic and mineral particles. Fertile stands of ash tree swamps
should naturally be covered with forest stands, constituted by alders and ash trees.
In the sites of humid and marshy forests, one finds pine woods, with an admixture of spruces and
birch trees.
In the stands of humid and marshy (boggy) mixed forests, the spruce is decidedly dominant among
older forest stands, while the younger ones are dominated by quite numerous marshy birch thickets.
The average age of forest stands is 62 years, while the largest area, over 65%, is covered by the
stands, which are 21-80 years old. Over 11% of the forest area is covered by forest stands that are
over 100 years old. It is not difficult to encounter pine woods which are over 140 years old, while
single pine trees in some places considerably exceed the age of 200 years.
Spruces are the oldest trees in the forest. In the richer stands, they even reach 42 meters.
Natural areas of particular value
The Polish canal zone is located between two national parks: the Wigierski National Park,
located to the North of the canal, and the Biebrzański National Part, located to the south.
The Biebrzański National Park, together with the buffer zone, covers almost the entire
Biebrza River valley. This is the largest natural complex of low peat lands, with a small share of
intermediate and high peat lands, in the Central and Western Europe, characterized by unique
diversity of plant and animal species, as well as of natural ecosystems. The Southern part of the
canal together with the buffer zone is located within the outline of the Biebrzański National Park.
The Czarna Hańcza River connects the Wigierski National Park (the Wigry is the main lake of the
park) with the Augustowski Canal. In the direct vicinity of the Augustowski Canal, in the Polish
part of the buffer zone, there are 7 nature reserves: Perkuć, Brzozowy Grąd, Stara Ruda, Jezioro
Kalejty, Jezioro Kolno, Starożyn, Mały Borek.
The Belarusian zone also constitutes a very precious ecosystem with natural characteristics.
The forest area connects with the Augustów Forest and constitutes a continuous forest complex,
reaching to the Neman River. Further on, between the Neman River and the Kotra River, there is
the Grodno Forest of forty thousand hectares.
The terrain profile is enriched with continental dunes, crossed by the rivers: Czarna Hańcza,
Szlamica, Marycha. The rivers and the lakes: Długie, Wiązowiec, Szlamy, Sawiejek, Jędrenia,
Kawienia, Czarne, have created deep valleys.
Over 955 of the area is covered by pine forests with heather-moss, lichen-moss and bilberry-moss
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undergrowth. One can find here the following vascular plants, rare in this part of Belarus: Saxifraga
tridactylites, the insectivorous butterwort (Pinguicula vulgaris), the twinflower (Linnaea borealis),
the lady's slipper orchid (Cypripedium calceolus), the wild garlic (Allium ursinum) and many
others.
On the Belarusian side, there is the State Botanical Sapockin Reserve with the area of 12600
hectares. The following species are particularly protected within the reserve: the bearberry
(Arctostaphylos uva-ursi), the bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillius), the common juniper (Juniperus
communis), the Lily of the Valley (Convallaria majalis), the bog blueberry (Vaccinium uliginosum),
the thyme (Thymus thyme, Thymus ucrainicus), the dwarf everlast (Helichrysum arenarium), the
butterwort (Pinguicula vulgaris), the lady's slipper orchid (Cypripedium calceolus), the wild garlic
(Allium ursinum), the twinflower (Linnaea borealis) and many others. The flora of the reserve is
constituted by 371 species of higher vascular plants.
There are 22 species of mammals in the area. Among them, one should not numerous populations
of otters and beavers in the drainage area of the Marycha and Szlamica rivers. The group of birds
consists of 121 species (including: the heathbird, the honey-buzzard, Hieraaetus minutus Brhm., the
eagle owl, the black stork, the kingfisher, the northern goshawk). Among valuable fish species, one
can count: the brook trout and the grayling.
261 species of insects are reported to be found within the reserve, including the rare Carabus
cancellatus and Carabus violaceus, the spring dumbledor (Geotrupes vernalis) and the swallowtail
(Papilio machaon).
The history of the construction of the Augustowski Canal
The idea of establishing a water-way connection between the Vistula and Neman rivers arose in the
second half of the 18th century, at the end of the independence of the Polish state. In 1821, Prussia
introduced unilaterally high customs duties on Polish and Lithuanian goods transiting their territory,
which cut off the access of Polish trade to the Baltic Sea. In July 1822, the Minister of the Treasury
of the Congress Kingdom of Poland, Franciszek Ksawery Drucki – Lubecki, brought up the
initiative of constructing a huge by-passing water artery, which would avoid the Prussian territory
and connect the centre of the Congress Kingdom with the Latvian harbours at the Baltic Sea. The
Augustowski Canal was to connect the Vistula River through the Narew River with the Neman
River, and further on, along the Dubysa and Venta rivers, to the Baltic harbour in Ventspils. When
the Berlin cabinet increased the repressive measures on 10th April 1823, two research groups were
send to the Vistula-Neman watershed to check the viability of the concept and, possibly, prepare a
construction design. The Polish group – sent by general Józef Zajączek, the Viceregent of the
Congress Kingdom of Poland, by order of the Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich, the Commander24
in-Chief of the Polish Army and a brother of the tsar of Russia, Alexander I, who was an unofficial
ruler of the Kingdom of Poland – was directed by the lieutenant-colonel of the General
Quartermaster Department, Ignacy Prądzyński. The Russian group – delegated by the Main Roads
Management Office in St. Peterstburg (Alexander, the Duke of Württemberg) – was lead by the
lieutenant-colonel Karol I. Reese. In difficult conditions, both groups made the indispensable
geodesic and levelling measurements of the selected connections between the mid June and the end
of November 1823, and prepared a preliminary design of the route at the beginning of the next year.
At first, the following route variants were considered: Supraśl-Świsłocz, Biebrza-Tatarka-Łosośna
(Łososianka) and Netta-Czarna Hańcza. The Wigry Lake was considered only as a water supply
source. These works allowed engineers to create detailed maps, which show the hydrographical
profile of the entire area of the planned investment project. The proposed canal routes were assessed
by competent technical committees. On the basis of t he prepared materials, tsar Alexander I
decided at the end of May 1824, that the project was to be realize and managed by the Polish party.
Both projects were finally verified by the committee consisting of the following generals: Maurycy
Hauke, Pierre Dominique Bazaine and Jana Ch. Malletsky de Grandville. On 27th July 1824, the
decisions of the committee were approved by the Administrative Board of the Kingdom. At the
moment, three route variants were taken into consideration: the Reese's variant (through Sajno and
Serwy lakes), the Prądzyński's variant (unknown), the generals' variant (through Augustów, below
the Serwy Lake). The final plans were approved by the tsar on 15th February 1825.
The first flood-control works of the Biebrza and Netta rivers started already in the last days
of July 1824. By the mid 1825, the base of the raw materials for the investment was already
prepared (construction of brick-kilns, steelworks and iron foundries, blacksmith shops, metalwork
and woodwork shops; preparation of the technology and implementation of Vicat-system hydraulic
lime production). The 1825 construction season witnessed the commencement of lock construction.
Until 1831, the construction works were carried out by military groups, subordinated directly to
general Malletsky, the director of the Engineering Corps. The position of the general construction
manager was occupied by the following persons: Prądzyński – until November 1825 (formally,
until August 1826); Jerzy Arnold, the captain of the General Quatermaster Department, as the
manger in charge; Henryk Rossman, the lieutenant-colonel of the Engineering Corps – until January
1831. After the defeat of the 1830-1831 uprising and the liquidation of the Polish army, the works
were taken over by civil institutions – The Management Board of Land and Water Routes. At the
time, an eminent specialist, major Teodor Urbański was the chief inspector of the construction
works. By 1830, all the works covered by the original cost calculations had been realized.
Simultaneously with the work, the original design was amended: the location of the sluices at the
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watershed of the Czarna Hańcza River was changed, the Kurkul ditch was introduced into the
project (before 27th December 1827), and the Netta River was designed by become navigable by
the introduction of the so-called New Canal, often referred to as "lateral" (the final decision taken in
October 1829). The time of works became longer, but the major part of the canal was used for
navigation already in 1829. After 1833, auxiliary (derivative) canals were constructed to drain the
excess of waters of the Netta River (Bystry canal) and the Hańcza River (Szlamica), the Tartak lock
was added to the system and the Kudrynki lock parameters were changed. All construction works
were finished in 1839. The investment project was financed from the state treasury budget surplus
(until 1833) and later from credits of the Bank Polski, which was granted a free lease of Augustów
and Kurpie forests as a recompense of the incurred costs. The construction works got involved a
large number of the best Polish engineers of the time. Apart from general Prądzyński (who was
more famous as a patriot, a strategist, a military theoretician, one of the main authors of the
victories over Russians in the war of 1831), one should mention here the following emigrants:
general Wojciech Chrzanowski (an excellent cartographer, the Chief of Staff of the insurgent army
and of the Piedmont army, an instructor in Turkey), lieutenant-colonel Jan Paweł Lelewel (later,
the general engineer of the Bern canton in Switzerland), lieutenant-colonel August Szultz (as
Jussuf Aga, he took a high position in Egypt), or those who took important professional positions in
Poland, namely Michał Przyrembla (the general inspector of KLiW, the government commissioner
during the construction of the Warsaw-Vienna railway), Wilhelm Kolberg, Józef Sporny (a pioneer
of Polish bituminous industry), Konstanty Jodka (the chief engineer of Warsaw, the main specialist
for the project of making the Vistula River navigable), Maksymilian Strasz (a pioneer of
photography in Poland). The Augustowski Canal was the cradle of the Polish cement industry
(production of the so-called Augustów lime) and bituminous industry (production of pitchstone in
Wólka Rządowa since 1839).
Originally designed to play an important economic role, the object lost its significance after changes
in the political situation (Prussia quickly withdrew from the customs war in 1825; Lubecki's
political concept turned out to be impracticable after the defeat of the 1831 uprising), and due to the
development of a network of railway connections in the second half of the 19th century. It became a
local route, which revitalized the neglected North-Eastern part of the Congress Kingdom and areas
of Lithuania and Belarus. It was used primarily for floating timber, while its secondary economic
importance excluded any prospects of modernisation.
A part of the Vistula-Neman water way, the so-called Venta Canal between the Dubyssa and Venta
rivers, was never completed.
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Due to political changes brought about by the WW II, the canal was divided by a national
border between Poland and USSR. The utilization of the canal divided between two states was
rather insignificant. After 1944, the traffic along the canal within the USSR territory practically
ceased. The part of the canal located within the current territory of Belarus, from the Kurzynie lock
at the national border to the Niemnowo lock at the point where it connects with the Neman River,
was unused and maintained authentic features. In 1984, by the decision of the Council of Ministers
of the Belarusian SSR, the Belarusian part of the Canal was granted the status of a monument, and
in 2003, it was introduced into the National Register of Historical and Cultural Heritage of the
Belarus Republic as an object consisting of the water-way, the hydrotechnical objects, watchman's
houses and the protected zone of natural and landscape resources.
The section located in Poland was used for economic and tourism-related purposes. After
WW II, 5 sluices were reconstructed, in the original form and with the use of original technology in
the original place of destroyed facilities. The period 1950-1960 witnessed attempts to restore the
original economic significance of the canal. The political authorities and the administrators of the
Canal wished to modernize the water way and locks and to adapt them to the modern transportation
requirements. The canal, however, had only a local significance and the state border closed the
water route to the Neman River, while the absence of a real economic purpose resulted in
withdrawal from the modernization plans, which is why the Augustowski Canal remained in an
unchanged form. In October 1968, the exceptional value of the Augustowski Canal as a monument
became recognized and the best-preserved part of the canal (about 50 km), together with all
buildings and facilities and the protected-landscape zone of 300 m from the banks was introduced
into the register of monuments as a single complex of historical value. The decision was
unprecedented in Poland. Up to the moment, only single sluices (1964) and buildings (1966) had
been granted the status of a monument. In 1979, the registry of monuments was enriched with the
entire section of the Augustowski Canal, located within the territory of Poland, between the
Dębowo lock and the Kurzyniec lock at the state border, together with all sluices, facilities and
buildings, while the protected-landscape zone was broadened to 1000 m in open terrain.
The Polish canal section was used for transporting timber and for water tourism until the '80s of the
20th c. For the last 20 years, the canal has been used exclusively for tourism-related purposes, i.e. it
supported the traffic of canoes, boats, raft and small passenger ships.
Technique and technology
The Augustowski Canal is a world-scale representative example of the implementation of
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technological achievements in the construction of navigable canals. The canal provides an excellent
and exceptional example of technology transfer. The construction of the water-way, the lock
sluices, the gates and their mechanisms, the water-gate sluices, the bridges and wharfs was based on
the technological solutions proposed in Architecture Hydraulique.vol.II. B.Belidor. Paris 1750.
Almost all technological solutions implemented all over the world can be found in the Augustowski
Canal construction, yet they were modified and adopted for the local climatic and material-related
conditions. Therefore, the Augustowski Canal is a masterwork of water engineering. It is a kind of a
historical kaleidoscope of 17th-19th century technologies of canal construction and original sluicing
technologies. It takes advantage of original devices, which survived in its structure and in the
landscape in their authentic form until today. (show a few drawings: a lock, gates, a drawbridge)
Hydraulic lime
The Augustowski Canal is the first example in the history of water engineering constructions, where
the innovative binding substance - hydraulic lime was used on mass scale (never before was it used
in structures of the type). The skill of producing permanent binding materials was known in the
antiquity, but the knowledge was lost over history, to the extent, that water-engineering structures
were constructed in the 17th-19th centuries were erected without a binding agent or used unstable
substances, washed out by water. The first treatise on the hydraulic lime – the modern underwater
binding agent – was published by the French scientist, Vicat, in 1818. The binder was obtained by
chemical processes, occurring during lime burning in high temperatures, which yielded a hard,
water-proof binder, able to bind under water. In 1822, on the basis of Vicat's theory, another
scientist (de Charleville) carried out the first experimental process of lime burning to be realized
outside laboratories, and the obtained small amount of hydraulic lime was used for the construction
of a column of a bridge across the Narva River. In 1824, several years after publication of Vicat's
treatise, a modernised method of producing water-proof lime entered the phase of industrial
production in two plants in Poland, and the quickly hardening lime, capable of binding under water,
was used during the construction of the Augustowski Canal at the scale of t he entire engineering
undertaking. It should be added, that the chemical composition and physical properties of the
Augustów lime, produced on mass scale in 1824, are analogous to Portland cement, which was
obtained in England by laboratory methods in 1824 (by Joseph Aspdin) and used for the first time
in the construction of the underground tunnels under the Thames in London in 1828.
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.
The landscape around the Augustowski Canal
Development of summer-resort constructions in the Polish canal zone. Problems related to
the canal and its buffer zone concern the maintenance (conservation) of hydrotechnical objects
(locks, weirs, ditches) and of historical monuments and cultural objects, aimed at simultaneous
protection of the natural environment properties. The development of some villages influences this
aspect. In the Eastern part of the (Polish) canal zone, there appeared a new phenomenon in the '80s,
namely the dynamic development summer bungalows. City-dwellers purchase not only old,
abandoned farms, but also (primarily) farming lands, which are transformed into recreation plots.
The development of villages, or rather their transformation into summer resorts, brings about
hazards fro the ecosystem of the area, apart from the hazard for the cultural landscape of the canal
zone.
New settlement structure. There arises a new settlement structure, which leads to the
effacement or considerable deformation of the traditional village arrangement in the Eastern part of
the canal (in principle, this applies to the zone between Białobrzegi village and the state border).
The Southern section of the canal (Dębowo – Białobrzegi) runs through the area of arable land,
meadows and forests, and the last section runs through the compact settlement of Białobrzegi. As it
is difficult to erect buildings in the area of this section of the canal zone, the interest of potential
investors is naturally low. However, the area of Białobrzegi is under strong investment pressure.
The construction development in the village is the greatest danger for this part of the canal and the
cultural landscape. Since the end of '70s of the 20th century, the banks of the section which runs
through Augustów town have been developed with utility buildings. The danger consists in further
development of the buildings and the establishment of a denser settlement structure.
Development of road communication: introduction of heavy trucks into the local traffic
constitutes one of the hazards for the lock structure. The vibrations and dynamic loads damage the
lock walls and foundations.
Hazards for archaeological stands: There are several archaeological stands in the canal zone.
The most serious and permanent hazard for the stands consists in deep mechanical ploughing,
which systematically disturbs and damages the historical substance which remains in the soil. This
is a hazard, which applies to the majority of objects in the area in question. The growing investment
pressure is oftentimes related to earth works at the banks of water reservoirs, i.e. at the spots of
concentration of archaeological stands.
29
Conservation of traditional folk construction style: Timber buildings constitute an important,
but gradually vanishing element of the landscape of the canal zone. This is due primarily to the
deterioration of the material condition. Research on timber constructions in the Suwałki and
Augustów regions showed, that timber buildings, made of pine or spruce wood, my last for 100-130
years (this is the maximum) without serious repairs.
30
Bibliography
Cartography
1. Topographisch Militaerishe Karte vom vormaligen Neu Ostpreussen oder dem jetziger
noerdlichen Theil des Herzogtums Warschau... Johann Ch. Von Textor, ed. Daniel
F.Sotzmann, Berlin 1808 (AGAD Dz. Kart. Sygn. 479-1);
2. Mappa jeneralna województwa augustowskiego ... Juliusz Colberg, Warsaw 1827, (Muzeum
Ziemi Augustowskiej);
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Kwatermistrzostwa Generalnego'), 1:42000, (AGAD Dz.Kart.S III KV);
4. Topographic ordnance map, sheet XVI 13: Suvalksk i Łomzinsk gub., Suvalsk.
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Collection, call number 591-1;
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Netta, la chaine de lacs d'Augustów, et la Hańcza, signed by first lieutenant of engineers Jan
Thomas. AGAD Cartographic Collection, call number 129;
9. Plan de Ligne de Navigation entre la Narew et le Neman, maintained in the Biblioteka
Narodowa [National Library] in Warsaw;
10. Plan du cours de la Netta dépuis Białobrzegi jusqu' a'Dębowo avec deux projects pour
écluses prepared by Lieutenant-Colonel Engineer Henryk Rossmann, Biblioteka Miasta
Stołecznego Warszawy [Library of the Capital City of Warsaw], call number 42-20.
Archival materials
Archiwum Główne Akt Dawnych [Main Archive of Old Files] in Warsaw.
Komisja Rządowa Spraw Wewnętrznych [Government Committee for Internal Affairs] call
numbers 6352, 6925,
Komisja Rządowa Wojny [Governmant War Committee] call number 406B,
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Archiwum Państwowe [Government Archives] in Suwałki:

Files of the Commissar for peasants affairs in Suwałki guberniya for the period 1868-1914, call
number ,

Files of the town of Augustów, call numbers 176, 177,

Suwałki lan registry Dobra Narodowe Klejwy, call number 628,
31

Suwałki lan registry Dobra Narodowe Sejwy, call number 107,

Suwałki lan registry Dobra Narodowe Wigry, call number 628,
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in Kraków: Correspondence of the Prądzynski family, rkp. 1951;
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Catholic University] in Lublin: Prądzyński's Collection, rkp.64, 65;
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from the year 1899.
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Gwagnin A., Z kroniki Sarmacyjej Europskiej, Kraków 1860;
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A.k.Holsche, Geographie und statistik vov West-Sud und Neu-Ostpreussen, Vol.1 Berlin 1800;
Inwentarz starostwa knyszyńskiego z 1561 roku [in:] W. Chomętowski: Materiały do dziejów
rolnictwa w Polsce w XVI i XVII w., Warsaw 1876, pp.257-58;
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geograficznym i statystycznym, Podlasie vol.VI, parts I-III, Warsaw 1908-1910;
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Stefanem Grabowskim, ed. Smolka S., Kraków 1909;
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Warsaw 1959;
Monitor Warszawski No. 57 (12.05.1825), Obwieszczenie o układzie w sprawie ceł, p. 261;
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1964;
Wernerowa W., Opisy parafii dekanatu augustowskiego z 1784 r., „Studia Podlaskie”, Vol.IV,
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Publications and studies
1. Ambrosiewicz M., Batura W., Krzykwa-Varszon D,.Wszelaczyński, Krajobraz kulturowy
Kanału Augustowskiego [in:] Krajobrazy 24936, Warsaw 1999;
2. Ambrosiewicz M., 2000. Projektowany park kulturowy Kanału Augustowskiego [in:] Biuletyn
Konserwatorski Województwa Podlaskiego, pp.153-166;
3. Augustouski kanał: ad Wisły da Niemana; fotaalbom, Minsk 2003;
4. Bańkowska Jolanta, Bolesta Wojciech, Kanał Augustowski:opis techniczny. Warsaw 1959
(manuscript);
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5. Batura Wojciech, Kanał Augustowski. Arcydzieło rąk ludzkich i natury, Toruń 2000;
6. Batura Wojciech, Makowski Andrzej , Szlaszyński Jarosław, Dzieje Augustowa od założenia
miasta do 1945 roku. Suwałki 1997;
7. Chlebowski Bronisław: Augustowski kanał. W: Słownik geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego i
innych krajów słowiańskich... Vol. 1;
8. Gembarzewski Bronisław, Pamiętniki generała Prądzyńskiego, Kraków 1909;
9. Górewicz Jerzy , Orłowski Bolesław, Kanał Augustowski jego dzieje i przyszłość. Warsaw
1971;
10. Górewicz Jerzy , Orłowski Bolesław, Kanał Augustowski :150 lat. Augustów 1973;
11. Górewicz Jerzy : Opowieść o Kanale Augustowskim. Warsaw 1974;
12. Kanał Augustowski od Biebrzy do Niemna, authors: Hrehorij Akińczyc, Maciej Ambrosiewicz,
Wojciech Batura, Dorota Krzykwa-Vaszon, Swietłana Kul-Silwestrowa, Wiaczysław W.
Szwed, Igor Trusow, Olga M....Zaborowska; editor: Janusz Kopciał]. Augustów Suwałki 2000;
13. Kanał Augustowski szlak wodny Euroregionu Neman, [authors: Hrehorij Akińczyc, Maciej
Ambrosiewicz, Wojciech Batura, Dorota Krzykwa - Vaszon, Swietłana Kul-Silwestrowa,
Wiaczysław W. Szwed, Igor Trusow, Olga M.Zaborowska; redakcja Janusz Kopciał].
Augustów Suwałki 2000;
14. Kraft N. O. Opisanije Awgustowskago kanała.Źurnal' putiej soobszczenija, 1838 vol. 2 book 1;
15. Krajobraz kulturowy Kanału Augustowskiego. 1999. Studia i Materiały Krajobrazy nr 24 (36)
Warsaw 1999;
16. Ochrona i zagospodarowanie Kanału Augustowskiego. Wartości przyrodniczo-kulturowe,
historia, turystyka. Materiały z seminarium międzynarodowego 4-5 maj [in:] Krajobrazy 26
(38), Ośrodek Ochrony Zabytkowego Krajobrazu, Warsaw 2000;
17. Strategia zintegrowanego markowego produktu KANAŁ AUGUSTOWSKI jako element
produktu międzynarodowego, Warsaw, October 2005;
18. Urbanowski Michał, Kanał Augustowski, woj. białostockie: studium historyczne. Warsaw 1971.
[manuscript];
19. Wszelaczyński Wiesław: Kanał Augustowski: monografia. Gdańsk 1994;
Zbor pomnikau historyi i kultury Biełarusi. Hrodzienskaja
wobłasc'. Minsk.Preparer
Ph. D. Maciej Ambrosiewicz
Ph. D. Maciej Świątkowski
Krajowy Ośrodek Badań i Dokumentacji Zabytków National Center for Historical
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Monument Studies and Documentation]
00-464 Warsaw, ul. Szwoleżerów 9
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