Czechia is dreaming of the Danube–Oder Canal again
Czechia, Slovakia and Poland share a vision for the Danube–Oder Canal, a waterway that would connect all three countries directly with the Black Sea on the far eastern edge of Europe. Historical accounts suggest that the first plans for a Danube–Oder Canal date back to the Middle Ages, during the reign of Charles IV, around 700 years ago. Now, however, Czechia, Poland and Slovakia want to turn their three-way alliance into concrete action and link the Oder to the Black Sea via the Danube. The Eastern European trio will probably have to do without Germany’s help, though, after the Federal Republic—and the state of Brandenburg, which borders the Oder—rejected similar plans back in the 1990s.
Czechia is dreaming of the Danube–Oder Canal again
Date: 30/09/2026
Czech Deputy Transport Minister Ivo Toman and his Polish counterpart, Anna Wypych-Namiotko, took a tentative first step towards the Danube–Oder Canal in Wrocław, Poland, in recent days. The two politicians discussed the basic framework for building a waterway that could branch off from the Oder in the Polish town of Kędzierzyn-Koźle, formerly Cosel, and flow into the Danube near Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. Slovakia has already signalled its willingness to cooperate on the “Danube–Oder Canal” project, unlike Austria. The Alpine republic is about as enthusiastic about the canal as its neighbour Germany, which is why work on a section of the waterway begun near Vienna in the mid-20th century cannot be continued.
Czechia, Poland and Slovakia are pursuing primarily economic goals with the construction of the Danube–Oder Canal. It is clear that shipping on the Oder, especially freight traffic, would benefit from a direct connection to the Black Sea. Czechia, Poland and Slovakia are also putting forward flood protection along the Oder as an argument. Although Germany in particular has already had painful experiences with flooding on the Oder in recent years, Berlin is unlikely to invest any money in the Danube–Oder Canal. Czechia, Slovakia and Poland are therefore hoping for help from Brussels in the form of EU grants. Initial estimates put the cost of building the Danube–Oder Canal at at least 10 billion euros, with construction expected to take several decades. At around 200 kilometres, Czechia has by far the longest stretch along the Oder, followed by Slovakia (100 km) and Poland (50 km).
Kai Rebmann
