The Silo Canal, or Silokanal in

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

, is a

canal Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface fl ...

in the

state of

Brandenburg Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an area of 29,480 square ...

. It provides a short cut for vessels navigating the

River Havel The Havel () is a river in northeastern Germany, flowing through the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Brandenburg, Berlin and Saxony-Anhalt. It is a right tributary of the Elbe and long. However, the direct distance from its source to its mo ...

, avoiding the winding and constricted navigation through the city of

Brandenburg an der Havel Brandenburg an der Havel () is a town in Brandenburg, Germany, which served as the capital of the Margraviate of Brandenburg until it was replaced by Berlin in 1417. With a population of 72,040 (as of 2020), it is located on the banks of the ...

. The long canal follows the route of the Silograben of 1782, and was constructed between 1907 and 1910. At its upstream end, the ''Vorstadtschleuse Brandenburg'' lock descends into the lower level of the Havel, known as the ''Brandenburger Niederhavel'', where a junction is also made with the

Beetzsee The Beetzsee is a lake in the state of Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated to the north and east of the city of Brandenburg an der Havel. It consists of four lake separate lake basins, which are connected by narrow channels. The uppermost of the ...

. From here the canal proper skirts the northern edge of the city, eventually flowing into the

Quenzsee Quenzsee (Quenz Lake) is a lake in the state of Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated to the west of the city of Brandenburg an der Havel, and is one of a number of directly linked lakes, along with the BreitlingseeMöserscher See Plauer See and ...

, which links to the Plauer See and hence the River Havel and the

Elbe–Havel Canal The Elbe–Havel Canal is a 56-kilometre-long waterway in Germany. It links Magdeburg, on the River Elbe, with Brandenburg on the River Havel. Since 2003, the Elbe–Havel Canal has been connected to the Mittelland Canal The Mittelland Canal ...

. Whilst commercial shipping uses the Silo Canal, leisure traffic tends to use the older and smaller dimensioned Brandenburg City Canal, which diverges upstream of the ''Vorstadtschleuse Brandenburg'' and passes through the city centre, before descending through the ''Stadtschleuse Brandenburg'' lock. This traffic then follows the ''Brandenburger Niederhavel'' downstream into the

Breitlingsee The Breitlingsee, or Breitling See, is a lake in the state of Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated to the west of the city of Brandenburg an der Havel, and is one of a number of directly linked lakes, along with thMöserscher See Plauer See, Que ...

before rejoining the main route in the Plauer See.

References

Canals in Germany Federal waterways in Germany Canals opened in 1910 CSilo {{water-transport-stub