Snäcke lockstation, Dalsland Canal

Lock chambers: 1
Elevation: 3 m
Duration: 20 minutes

Opening hours

The lock station comprises a single lock in addition to the road bridge, which must be opened for all traffic. The height difference of the lock is 3 m. There are waiting jetties about 1.9 m deep on both sides of the lock along the south side of the canal. 

Buy your lock tickets here

History

The Strömmen lock in Snäcke Canal was built north of Snäcke lock in the 1840s, but goods were still transported at this time between the Ånimmen and Östebosjön lakes via a horse-drawn railway at Snäcke. In the 1860s, however, plans for a canal began to take shape. One of the canal’s most ardent proponents was the ironworks at Lisefors, which later became Fengersfors Mill. The Snäcke Kanal AB company was established and by 1874, both the canal and the lock were finished.

Yet by the early 1900s, the lock had become outdated and Fengersfors Mill, the most frequent user of the lock, built a new one. The mill’s shipments stopped in 1963 and a few years later, Snäcke Canal was sold to the shipmasters who transported quartz through the canal. 

In 1978, Snäcke Canal was closed by the county council. The locks were so poorly maintained that they were considered dangerous. It wasn’t until 1982 that the canal was incorporated into Dalsland Canal. The lock gates were replaced and traffic started up again in June of 1985. 

While you’re here, try to get invited to a vimba fry. A slightly larger variant of vendace fish, vimba is caught in Lake Ånimmen. Fried over an open fire, it is absolutely delicious.