The Halden Canal - experiences in a living cultural monument

Let the waterway lead you through idyllic lakes, impressive locks and beautiful cultural landscapes. Exhale, relax and experience art, culture, history and the beautiful nature with us!

The Halden Canal and nearby areas offer great experiences for young and old, and are a great tourist attraction with their beautiful and partly untouched nature. The Halden Canal is the oldest of the two canals in Norway. This exciting waterway with Northern Europe's highest continuous lock staircase - Brekke locks, stretches from Skulerud in the north to Tistedal in the south, almost 8 miles. The Halden Canal and nearby areas offer great experiences for young and old, and the canal is a great tourist attraction with its beautiful and partly untouched nature.

The Halden Canal is a special cultural monument, and in recent years the canal has been put in good condition so that you can now travel from north to south, passing through three lock sites and five lakes on the way. There are many great experiences in and along the canal. Here you can paddle or drive a boat through idyllic lakes and impressive lock systems - in a beautiful landscape with many interesting cultural monuments. And here you can swim, fish, eat, experience art and culture, live and experience the beautiful nature!

The history

The Halden Canal is the older of the two canals in Norway (the second one is in Telemark). Halden Canal was built between 1852 - 1860. Brekke locks are furthest south, finished in 1924. Brekke comprise 4 locks with an overhead clearance totalling 26.6 m. The 3 locks at Ørje have an overhead clearance of 10 m. All locks can be passed by boats that are up to 24 m length, 6 m wide and 1.6 m deep.



At Ørje locks there is a memorial to the canal builder Mr Engebret Soot (1786 - 1859). Close by Ørje locks lies the old Ørje Brugs area and the Halden Waterways' Canal Museum. A steamship actively in use from 1862 carries the name of the canals builder - "DS Engebret Soot". The ship is restored and can be chartered for cruise on the canal. Throughout the history as many as 25 steamships have trafficated the canal. Today 6 of them are still to be seen in the canal. The history of the Halden Canal is interestingly described in the Canal Museum (Haldenvassdragets Kanalmuseum), as is the cultural relics in the area and the nature in and around the canal.