Saimaa Canal: political symbol for 150 years
For Russia, waterway remains a symbol of international cooperation - for Finland, a mere transport route
By Leena Härkönen
During its entire 150-year history, the Saimaa Canal has been both a transport route and a conduit for political currents.
Tsar Nicholas I, who initiated the first canal, hoped that it would link the Grand Duchy closer to Russia than before. The project had a massive budget.
"Nevertheless, the canal paid for itself in 25 years", points out Juhani Korpela, who has been a member of the commission administering the canal since 1986.
It is said that the first construction site of the Saimaa Canal gave birth to the Finnish working class. There were nearly 3,000 people working on the project.
According to Korpela, the canal was a great success-factor for East Finland at the time, as the waterways compensated for the poor state of the highways.
The significance changed as highways and railways developed. Already in the early years of Finnish independence, Parliament started cutting back on funding for the canal.
After the war, President Urho Kekkonen used the canal for political purposes. Dr. Jyrki Paaskoski, PhD, writes in his book Viipuriin ja maailmalle ("To Vyborg and the World"), about the idea of leasing the area between the sea and the Finnish border to Finland.
The Soviet Union finally agreed to lease the canal itself, along with a narrow strip of land on both sides, to Finland for 50 years.
"When the treaty was taken to Parliament for approval, the estimate was that the costs and the lease could be paid with proceeds from the canal. This has never happened", Korpela says.
The canal requires state subsidies of about EUR 10 million a year. Finland pays Russia a lease of EUR 300,000 a year. A new treaty is currently under negotiation.
At present, the Saimaa Canal lowers the costs of international transport by Finnish industry. It is a competitive factor in the east of Finland, and hundreds of jobs are directly dependent on the canal.
The importance could grow if Russia's internal waterways were to open up to foreign vessels. Expensive energy could also boost the cost-effectiveness of water transport.
The political weight is seen as minor in Finland.
"People have even felt that it has dissipated", Korpela says. Even responsibility for the canal treaty has been moved from the Foreign Ministry to the Ministry of Transport and Communications, as the issue was seen as a "less-important matter".
Russia continues to emphasise the political, cooperative and symbolic value of the canal. Even the Russian member on the Canal Commission has the rank of a deputy minister.
"It's worth listening to official speeches", Korpela recommends.
Helsingin Sanomat / First published in print 8.9.2006
More on this subject:
 Saimaa Canal - a short history
LEENA HÄRKÖNEN / Helsingin Sanomat
leena.harkonen@hs.fi
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| 12.9.2006 - THIS WEEK |
Saimaa Canal: political symbol for 150 years
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