In the Isthmus of Corinth, a six-kilometer-long canal has been a notable feature since 1893. Built over 11 years with thousands of workers from Greece and France, the project led to several business bankruptcies. Originally intended to ease maritime traffic between the Aegean and the Adriatic Seas, the canal is now too narrow for most modern ships and has become a popular tourist attraction for smaller vessels. The idea of a canal connecting the two seas dates back to ancient times, with the 7th-century BCE ruler Periander of Corinth choosing a land route instead of a waterway. Later, in 67 AD, Emperor Nero tried to build a similar canal using Jewish prisoners, but the project was abandoned after his death. The modern canal was designed by Hungarian engineer István Türr and later completed by Béla Gerster. Construction officially began in 1890 under the supervision of Andreas Syngrós. To create the canal, workers removed 12 million cubic meters of rock, resulting in a structure 8 meters deep and 6,343 meters long. The official opening took place on July 25, 1893, with King George I in attendance. The first ship to pass through was a French vessel measuring 110 meters long and 13 meters wide, which crossed in January 1894. Today, the canal's width—24.6 meters at sea level and 21.3 meters at the bottom—makes it unsuitable for large modern container ships or cruise ships. As a result, it is primarily used by tourist ships, yachts, and small cruise vessels. Approximately 11,000 ships use the route each year. However, the canal has faced periodic closures due to landslides, notably in 2018 and 2021. It was reopened in 2022 and 2023 after safety measures were implemented to ensure stability. In April 2024, the French three-masted ship Belem crossed the canal carrying the Olympic flame for the Paris Games. This event underscored the canal’s symbolic importance, even as it remains largely impractical for modern commercial shipping. Despite its limitations, the Corinth Canal continues to be a historic and cultural landmark, drawing visitors and serving as a reminder of both ancient ambition and 19th-century engineering.