The Elblag Canal’s creation history was build from numerous events and individuals. Some of them are widely known, some barely known and some unknown. Soon after the Regional Water Management Authority was established, regionalist and renown museologist Roman Klim initiated the creation of the Elblag Canal Museum. Thanks to many years of his strongest efforts, scattered historical documents and casting patterns were gathered to make the first Elblag Canal History Chamber in 1998, situated in the Supervision Office of the Gdansk Regional Water Management Authority. During 15 years Roman Klim’s exhibition was seen by hundreds of thousands of visitors.

One of key elements of the substantial restoration of the Elblag Canal in the years 2012-2015 was showing its history and present look using modern tools. The new Elblag Canal History Chamber’s architecture refers to arcaded houses built in this region at the time and perfectly merges with the surrounding buildings. The Chamber’s broad space allows for much more extensive presentation of the Canal’s history, technology and touring. Thanks to modern architectural solutions, the venue is accommodated for the use by the disabled. The exhibition is accessible in several languages – Polish, English, German and Russian, in the exhibition boards as well as the audio-guides available free of charge. The Museum is multimedia-equipped and can fit 40 visitors at the same time.

For the purposes of current exhibition, the storage houses were thoroughly searched through, all available archive documents were retrieved and digitalised. A selection of models underwent deep renovation. The Chamber’s exhibition shows in detail the 19th century engineers’ craftsmanship that allowed for the construction of a one-of-a-kind hydrotechnical facility, it gives the opportunity to know the history of people who dedicated their lives to the Canal.

The Elblag Canal History Chamber is an excellent base to run a variety of educational and promotional activities related to the water tourism or history of technology. The building and its surroundings allow to expand the offer to include outdoor events.

Had it not been for the many year’s worth of research and studies by Stanislaw Januszewski and the members of the Association of Elblag Canal Admirers, Ryszard Kowalski and Cezary Warzynski, the development of the museum’s contents would not be possible. Their publications are a comprehensive source of information on the Elblag Canal.
After the new Chamber’s launch in January 2015 it soon became evident, that the previously prepared design could not be brought to life. In three months’ time the museum was designed from scratch by the President of the Association of Elblag Canal Admirers, Slawomir Dylewski.

The Chamber has several exhibition layers. On the first floor, the contents introduce the topic and cast light on how the 2012-2015 renovation changed the existing structures. The second floor is more
technical. There is a children’s zone to entertain the little ones while you explore the museum. Details can be found on the boards. In here, you can touch the exhibits. You can start exploring the museum even while still waiting in line to purchase the tickets – there is a Canal’s construction timeline above the stairs.