The Niederfinow Boat Lift Publisher: Eberswalde Office of Waterways and Shipping 2005 www.wsa-eberswalde.de Contents Foreword 2 The Development of Waterways between 4 the Oder and Havel Rivers The Process of Lifting and Lowering 8 Technology 10 Shipping Traffic 19 Specifications of the Niederfinow Boat 23 Lift Outlook 25 Foreword Administration. These are the boat The Directorate for Waterways and lifts in Niederfinow (opened in Shipping East and the local 1934), Rothensee near Magdeburg Eberswalde Office of Waterways Dear Visitor, (opened in 1938), Scharnebeck and Shipping plan to establish a near Lüneburg (opened in 1975) permanent information centre near The question is often asked and Henrichenburg near Waltrop the boat lift in the next few years. whether the Niederfinow boat lift is (opened in 1962). Here, visitors will be able to the largest or even the only one of acquaint themselves with the its kind. Far from it. Internationally, The Niederfinow boat lift, the history of canal construction there are probably dozens of boat exclusive subject of the remainder between the Elbe and Oder rivers, lifts in operation. In the past, de- of this brochure, is thus the oldest with plans for the modernisation of vices were built in 8 locations in of the boat lifts still "serving on this canal, and not least with the Germany which we would today duty" in Germany today. But it technology of the boat lift itself. call "boat lifts". Only the masonry remains unchallenged in attracting Until this centre is opened, we of two of these structures remains, the highest number of annual hope that this brochure will provide one near Halsbrücke (in operation visitors. Why is that? a brief and understandable expla- from 1789 to 1868) and the other If you ask a visitor how they enjoyed nation of what you have seen and near Grossvoigtsberg in Saxony their visit or why they come back experienced. (completed in 1791, opening to Niederfinow again and again, unknown). They were built for 8.50 the answer is often that it is "lovely, metre long and 1.60 metre wide interesting and impressive". barges with a dead-weight Certainly, there are many factors capacity of approx. 3 tonnes. which play a role, like the size of Another one, the Henrichenburg the structure, its technology and boat lift on the Dortmund-Ems its beautiful location in the Canal, which opened in 1899 and Eberswalde glacial valley, between was shut down in 1970, has been the Oderbruch and the Barnim. retained for future generations as a Not least of all however, it is the restored technical monument. A successful harmony of technology fourth structure, the planned and landscape, the interplay of double boat lift in Hohenwarthe people and water. One watches near Magdeburg, was never com- the boats entering and leaving, the pleted as a result of World War II. movement of the boat tank, the The other four boat lifts are curr- caisson, the gates opening, or one ently operated by the Federal simply enjoys the lovely view from Waterways and Shipping the visitors' gallery. 2 3 The Development of Ages, these problems had not yet Canal which was designed to connect The overall length of the canal was been solved and, as a consequence, the Havel and Oder river systems north approx. 43 km, overcoming a differ- Waterways between many a visionary canal project was of Berlin. With temporary interruptions, ence in altitude of 38 m. The sites of bound to fail. Among these was a pro- building work continued until 1620. the 10 initial locks were oriented the Oder and Havel ject to link the Main and Danube rivers Branching off from the Havel near primarily by the locations of the locks which was started under Charlemagne Liebenwalde and flowing into the Oder built between 1605 and 1620. Seven Rivers in 793. A permanent version of this at Niederfinow, the canal was 38.6 km locks were added later. canal was only completed 1,200 years long and equipped with 11 chamber later. locks. The Thirty Years' War, which Traffic on the Finow Canal grew Humans have long used natural rivers began while the canal was being built, continually. In the early 1840s, more and streams to transport goods. When Parallel developments could also be not only destroyed it but also brought a than 13,000 barges and 48,000 logs a site was first settled, waterways observed in the Mark Brandenburg. complete halt to traffic, thus bringing passed through its locks annually. were often the only traffic routes. They The region between the Elbe and the doings and dealings in the Mark New, more efficient locks were soon offered the advantage of transporting Oder was criss-crossed by age-old Brandenburg to a standstill as well. required, since lockage times rose to relatively heavy loads by ship. At some trade routes. Most important for the up to 2 weeks due to the crush of later point in time, the need emerged development of the waterway system Nonetheless the opening of the origi- ships. to move goods from one river system were the Hamburg-Berlin-Breslau, nal Finow Canal was the first time in to another. Leipzig/Halle-Berlin-Stettin and the history of German waterways that In 1906, the Finow Canal reached the Magdeburg-Berlin-Stettin routes. Due a connection between two major rivers limits of its capacity as the transit of Every river system has its particular to the poor condition of country roads, had been established. The first Finow goods in both directions reached catchment area, which is the total area water transport was vastly superior to Canal was forgotten. It took 100 years, 2,760,767 tonnes. The growth in from which all surface waters drain overland transport throughout the until after Frederick the Great‘s freight in the preceding years led to into the main river via tributaries. Such greater part of the 19th century. In the accession, for the old waterway to be the decision to build a second modern river systems form the Rhine, Weser, interest of promoting trade, it soon remembered. A commission appointed northern connection between the Oder Elbe, Oder and Danube rivers in became an urgent necessity to supple- by the king recognised the advantage and the Havel. With the act of 1 April Central Europe. The boundary between ment the natural navigable lakes and of a canal system for transporting salt 1905 on the construction and expan- two catchment systems is called a rivers with the construction of canals between Prussia and Pomerania sion of waterways, Emperor Wilhelm II watershed. In order to cross with along the old trade routes. without a detour via Berlin. ordered, among other things, the "con- boats from one river system to the Furthermore, it would facilitate the struction of a shipping lane for large other, this watershed must be over- The first building measures along the transport of timber for shipbuilding and ships from Berlin to Stettin" (Berlin- come. Possibilities had to be sought to waterways began with the appearance firewood from the Neumark region to Hohensaaten waterway). This canal, bring the ship "over the mountain" on of watermills in the mid-thirteenth Berlin, Potsdam and Magdeburg. In known today as the Oder-Havel Canal, artificial waterways. The condition for century. The first barrages or dam 1743, after having the report by the was opened to traffic in 1914. It this is the theoretical and practical systems did more to hinder navigation commission he had appointed re- allowed the passage of ships of up to mastery of lock construction. The in- than promote it, since they interrupted examined, Frederick the Great ordered 600 tonnes, as opposed to 170 tonnes evitable loss of water due to evapora- direct ship transportation. Dam-up construction of the canal to begin. The on the Finow Canal. Another serious tion, seepage and the operation of the locks were soon built to bypass the scheduled construction time of one advantage was the reduction in the locks, particularly at the highest point dams however. Construction on the year expanded to three years, but on number of locks which had to be of the canal, the so-called summit first canals could actually begin with 16 June 1746, a barge loaded with 100 passed, from the former 17 between reach, needs to be taken into account. the invention and introduction of the tonnes of salt inaugurated navigation Spandau and Hohensaaten to just 5: These losses have to be continually chamber or navigation lock in the from the River Havel to the Oder. A one in Lehnitz and four at the so-called replenished in order to maintain the midsixteenth century. The year 1605 barge loaded with oats completed the descent in Niederfinow. Here, a differ- navigability of the canal. In the Middle saw the construction of the first Finow test run in the opposite direction. ence in altitude of around 36 m 4 5 between the highest point of the canal, I safeguarding against imbalance by the summit reach, and the Oderbruch so-called rotary crosspieces. region had to be overcome. First plans were based on the construction of a The Eberswalde Construction boat lift. There were already sugges- Development Office design was tions in this regard towards the end of approved by the Academy of Civil the 19th century. From 1906, in a Engineering in 1927 and refined further variety of public competitions, an with the participation of the companies incredible diversity of possibilities for a involved. The names of the companies boat lift were elaborated. However, primarily involved can be found on pla- none of the designs met with the ques on the visitors' walkway.