The Augustów Canal is an outstanding 19th-century waterway engineering achievement — 102 km long, connecting the basins of the Vistula and Neman rivers. Built between 1824-1839 under the direction of General Ignacy Prądzyński.
18 hand-operated wooden locks — the system allows raising/lowering ships across 50 m of elevation. The most famous is Paniewo lock (5-step) and Augustów.
Kayak route or boat (Augustów Passenger Shipping) — 6-hour cruise through 9 lakes. You can rent a kayak for the day (from 50 PLN) or a sailboat (from 200 PLN).
UNESCO candidate. Polish + Belarusian sections (border). Surroundings: Augustów Wilderness — Poland's largest forest (114,000 ha).