The conference theme was Challenges between ecology and economic use – sustainable revitalisation of canals focusing on nature.
Water runs through the history of Bydgoszcz and has contributed to its growth over the centuries. Construction of the Bydgoszcz Canal in 1773-1774 connected the city with the West of Europe, further stimulating economic growth. Today, the Bydgoszcz Canal is Poland’s oldest canal still in operation and the city sits at a crossing of inland waterways linking the east and west of Europe, including the navigable transport route known as Waterway E40, connecting the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea, and E70, which runs from Antwerp in Belgium to Vilnius in Lithuania.