Moscow Canal

By the early 1930s, Moscow had begun to experience a shortage of drinking and industrial water due to population growth, and the capacity of the Rublevskoye water pipeline did not meet the capital's water needs. On June 15, 1931, the Central Committee of the Soviet Communist Party approved the report of L. M. Kaganovich on the water situation in the capital and other cities, and adopted the recommendation to use the resources of the Volga River, located {{convert|120|km}} north of the capital, for water supply to Moscow, as well as for transportation purposes.

On June 1, 1932, by Resolution No. 859 of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, the route of the canal through Dmitrov was approved with the order to "immediately begin construction of the Volga–Moscow water canal"; the labor for only two years were allocated until November 1934. The former head of the OGPU Belomorstroy, L. I. Kogan, was appointed head of construction on June 9, 1932.Kokurin, Aleksandr Ivanovich. Dmitlag OGPU-NKVD USSR. Moscow–Volga. Local history project to study the history of the construction of the Moscow–Volga Canal, State Archives of the Russian Federation (December 13, 2019). Accessed December 26, 2020. Archived November 26, 2020

On September 14, 1932, by OGPU order No. 889, the Dmitrovsky corrective labor camp was organized, headed by the former chief supplier of the GULAG. Resources from the White Sea–Baltic Canal were transferred to the new administration " Dmitlag "Udovenko Ilya Vitalievich. Everyday life of canal army men (Dmitrovsky ITL on the construction of the Moscow–Volga canal 1932–1937) // Bulletin of the Samara Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences: journal. – 2018. – Vol. 20 , No. 3 (2) . – P. 338–342 ..

The number of prisoners at the canal construction site at one time reached 196,000 people.Ekaterina Fomina . “And now people lie there in neat rows” // Novaya Gazeta . – M. , 2017. – November 15 ( No. 127 ). – P. 21. Archived June 29, 2020. Igor Kuvyrkov of the Dolgoprudny Historical and Art Museum estimated that more than 600,000 prisoners passed through the canal construction site.Kuvyrkov Igor Vladimirovich: Profile on the official website of the Dolgoprudny Historical and Art Museum . dolgoprudnymuseum.ru . Date of access: February 1, 2020. Archived February 15, 2020 Of those, 22,842 deaths associated with work at the Canal were recorded in hospitals, not including people killed at work or who were shot.

On April 17, 1937, the gates were opened and the waters of the Volga began filling the Canal. Construction was completed on July 1, and the Canal was opened at ceremonies on July 14, 1937. On April 14, 1938, at the request of the NKVD, former prisoners who had completed their sentences and voluntarily remained for the construction of the Moscow-Volga Canal and other sites had their convictions expunged.Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR “On the removal of criminal records from former prisoners who voluntarily remained after serving their sentences on the construction of the Moscow-Volga Canal”

With the canal, Moscow is connected to Russia's Unified Deep Water System, a large system of canals and rivers in European Russia, which created access to five seas: the White Sea, Baltic Sea, Caspian Sea, Sea of Azov, and the Black Sea. As such, it is sometimes called the "port of the five seas" ({{langx|ru|порт пяти морей}}).{{Cite web |date=2020-06-02 |title=Сергей Собянин: Реставрацию Северного речного вокзала и благоустройство парка завершат ко Дню города |trans-title=Sergei Sobyanin: The restoration of the Northern River Station and the improvement of the park will be completed by City Day |url=https://www.mos.ru/mayor/themes/4299/6553050/ |access-date=2020-06-03 |website=Сайт Москвы |language=ru}} Apart from transportation, the canal also provides for about half of Moscow's water consumption, and the shores of its numerous reservoirs are used as recreation zones.{{Cite book |last1=Benua, Sofʹi︠a︡ |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/904390897 |title=Dostizhenii︠a︡ v SSSR : khroniki velikoĭ t︠s︡ivilizat︠s︡ii |trans-title=Achievements in the USSR: chronicles of a great civilization |last2=Бенуа, Софья |publisher=Algoritm |year=2015 |isbn=978-5-4438-1006-5 |location=Moskva |oclc=904390897}}

One of the world's tallest statues of Vladimir Lenin, {{convert|25|m|sp=us|adj=on}} high, built in 1937, is located at Dubna at the confluence of the Volga River and the Moscow Canal. The accompanying statue of Joseph Stalin of similar size was demolished in 1961 during the period of de-stalinization.{{cite book |last1=Salys|first1=Rimgaila |author-link1=Rimgaila Salys |title=The Musical Comedy Films of Grigorii Aleksandrov: Laughing Matters |date=2009 |publisher=Intellect Books |page=271}}

During World War II and the Battle of Moscow, the canal played an instrumental role in the defense of Moscow. Wehrmacht plans were to encircle the city from the north and south. To prevent this, water was pumped from the canal and reservoirs into the surrounding plains.{{Cite web |url=https://ikuv.livejournal.com/73279.html |title=Подробности затопления пойм рек Сестра и Яхрома в конце ноября 1941 года |trans-title=Details of the flooding of the floodplains of the Sestra and Yakhroma rivers at the end of November 1941 |website=ikuv.livejournal.com}}

File:Stamp of USSR 1157.jpg

The minimum depth of the canal is {{convert|5.5|m}}, and its lock dimensions are {{convert|290 by 30|m}}.{{cite web |title=Moscow Canal |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Moscow-Canal |website=Encyclopedia Britannica |access-date=21 June 2018 |language=en}}

Тушинский_тоннель.jpg|Tushino tunnel lies under the Moscow Canal

Volga, Volga (Bachelis Bridge).jpg|Bachelis Bridge on Moscow Canal from Volga-Volga movie

Dubna Lenin.JPG|Statue of Lenin at Dubna

Химкинский мост - panoramio.jpg|Khimki railway bridge

Moscow, Khimkinsky bridge over the canal (31469775952).jpg|Khimkinsky bridge, Moscow

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Category:Canals in Russia

Category:Economy of Moscow

Category:Geography of Moscow

Category:Canals opened in 1937

CMoscow

Category:Cultural heritage monuments in Moscow

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