Augustow canal is a monument of hydraulic architecture of the first half of the nineteenth century. The channel has a length of 102, 8 kilometers and connects the rivers Vistula and the Niemen. Since August 2008 the channel is in a protected area by UNESCO.

The construction of the canal began in 1824 and continued for 15 years. The Russian Empire was planning to create another water trade route to the Baltic sea, bypassing borders of Prussia, because the Berlin government imposed very high transit customs duties.

The design of the canal amounted engineer-Lieutenant Colonel Ignatius Prondzinski, the construction was overseen by Colonel John Paul Lelewel. The canal was built with the latest science and technology of the time and included a unique system of channels and sluices. The waterway was constructed 19 culvert dams, gateways 18, 21 cameras and 14 bridges. In those days the cost of construction of the Augustów canal had cost quite a large sum to 1, 5 million by silver.

Currently the canal is crossed by two countries: Poland and Belarus. In Poland, the channel has been recently renovated and is used for tourism purposes. On the Polish territory is 80 km and 15 gateways. In Belarus is 22, 2 miles and 3 locks: nemnogo, Dombrovka and Vacusac. The reconstruction of the canal was started only in the 1990-ies. Now the channel is used for tourist cruises and for active water tourism. The water in the canal is very clean, which led to the reproduction of valuable fish species such as trout and grayling. The popularity of fishing in the channel and adjacent lakes and rivers.