7 / 14 Saimaa scenery Punkaharju - Rapids - Saimaa Canal - Kolovesi - Linnansaari - Olavinlinna The first attempt to link Saimaa and the Gulf of Finland was made in 1499-1510. The Saimaa Canal at Mustola The 'Pontus ditch' on the eastern side of the present-day canal is the remnant of an abortive project decreed by King Charles IX of Sweden in 1607-1608. The first completed canal ran from Lauritsala to Suomenvesi cove in Vyborg bay and was built in 1854-56. The canal was 36 km long, and the 76-metre drop was managed with 28 locks, made of granite with wood gates. A stretch of the old canal still exists, running alongside the new canal in the Lappeenranta area. The old canal was nicely landscaped, with neat dwellings for canalmen and other staff, with carefully designed plantings and stone facing along the canal.