Milano is one of the few European cities that has witnessed strong commercial development despite the fact that it is not located on a major navigable river or on the sea. The multi-functional Navigli canals, which date back nearly 1,000 years, thus played a decisive role. To this day the canals provide irrigation, navigation opportunities and energy production as part of the Locarno-Milano-Venice Waterway. The first navigable 50-meter section was inaugurated in 1179, and marked the start of construction of the Naviglio Grande. In just 35 years, from 1439 to 1475, some 90 kilometers of canals were built in the Milano area, and made navigable by the 25 basins present. As the canals tended to penetrate the city, the cityscape changed drastically. The Darsena became a major port shortly after its completion. In 1805 Napoleon completed construction of the Naviglio di Pavia, a water route to the sea, fulfilling a centuries-long dream of the Milanese.