The Niederfinow Boat Lift

Publisher: Office of Waterways and Shipping 2005 www.wsa-eberswalde.de

Contents

Foreword 2 The Development of Waterways between 4 the and 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 . 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 . 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 . 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, 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 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, 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. unanimous approval of the Prussian Waterway Engineering Authority or the On 21 March 1934, the Niederfinow Academy of Civil Engineering. For this boat lift began continuous operation reason, it was decided to build a as the largest facility on the German series of locks consisting of four locks inland waterway system of the time. each with a drop of 9 m, 10 m in width, 67 m in length and with 250 m between one lock and the next. There was relevant experience in the con- struction of locks, but there was not a single boat lift of such a size in the entire world. The construction of a boat lift was adjourned until the time when a fully developed, reliable techni- cal solution had been found.

Efforts continued after World War I and the formation of a united German Waterway Administration, until be- tween 1924 and 1926, the administra- tion produced a design which was accepted by all the agencies involved. This project was developed according to the following specifications:

vertical motion with wet conveyance, closed lower level (dry tank cham- ber), tank movement via four pinions in rack ladders, weight compensation by counter- weight on wire cables,

8 7 The Process of Lifting The cleft water between the tank special features in the case of a multi- gate and the pound lock gate is ple barge convoy which is longer than and Lowering drained off. the caisson being towed through. In The sealing frame which allows a this case the convoy is uncoupled and watertight connection between the the push tug leaves the tank back- The difference in altitude of 36 metres canal and the lift tank is returned to wards. Arriving above, the non-pro- between the lower, Oder reach, and its land-side position. pelled barges are taken by a bridle the summit reach, the highest stretch The mechanical shutter between the hook and mechanically pulled out of of the Oder-Havel Canal, is cleared in tank and the land is disengaged. the tank. just five minutes. This is equivalent to The tank now hangs freely on the an average speed of 12 cm/s, cables and is ready for transport. achieved after about one metre of The converter is started and tank movement or 20 seconds. A accelerated until it produces the vessel requires about 20 minutes for direct current voltage necessary for the whole passage, including entry operation. and exit manoeuvres. After the sounding of a signal, the Let us now take a look at the process tank begins to move upwards. The of lifting a ship coming from the Oder hoisting operation takes about 5 river and travelling on in the direction minutes. During this time the of Berlin. This involves the following caisson driver moves from the series of events: eastern to the western control desk. The caisson stops automatically Starting position: The caisson or upon reaching the upper pound with tank is situated in the lower operat- the help of a level equalisation ing position, solidly connected with system. the canal level or lower pound. It is The caisson is locked mechanically as it were a part of the canal. The to the upper canal connection to tank gate and the pound lock gate prevent it from swinging. at the east side are opened, the The upper sealing frame is driven vessel lies at the starting position. into position and settles next to the The pilot, after being informed by tank. radio that his vessel will be the next The clearance between the upper to be lifted, gets the green entry sig- pound lock gate and the western nal. He casts off from the starting tank gate is filled with water. place, pulls into the caisson and Both gates are raised and the tank moors at the bollards. is now a part of the summit reach. Water table fluctuations can arise The vessel gets "green", the lines due to the movement of the entering are cast off, the vessel exits and the vessel and other ship movements in process is complete. the outer approach. When these have abated, the tank driver closes When a ship goes in the opposite the tank gate and the pound lock direction, the process is repeated in gate by pressing a button. reverse order. There are a number of View of the boat lift from the west

8 9 Technology 1. the caisson, 2. the steel framework, 3. the lower pound lock, The foundation engineering 4. the canal bridge.

In accordance with the geological The caisson is the movable part of the conditions, the composition of the soil lift. The vessels float in it while they are layers changes so greatly that only a being lifted or lowered. It is 85 m long building site on a slope came into and 12 m wide. The water has a depth question for the construction of the of 2.5 m which can be increased by up boat lift. The nine foundation piers of to 0.65 m. the lift had to be taken down to more The caisson weighs 4,300 tonnes, than 20 m under the ground with the including the water load. The steel use of compressed air in order to framework stands alongside the reach load-bearing sand layers. caisson and supports 64 hoisting A concrete sump pan to support the sheaves with a diameter of 3.50 m tank by conveyance to the lower water each on both sides of the hoisting level of the Oder reach had to be built. sheaves hall. The cables run over these The sump pan at the same time also hoisting sheaves, supporting the caiss- represents the main foundation raft for on on one side and the compensating the framework of the boat lift. Since counterweights on the other. The load the caisson or tank chamber projects is equalised by concrete weights (21 into the groundwater, a watertight con- tonnes each) which are connected to crete sump pan of 7.90 m internal the caisson by 192 cables of 52 mm in depth had to be produced. The dimen- diameter. The cables are 56.70 m long. sions of the framework gave the sump The 64 remaining cables are joined to pan a length of 97.65 m and a width of the counterweight guide frames and 29.10 m. The sole is 4 m thick. The have a load-bearing capacity of 4 View of the boat lift from the south foundation was made by lowering the tonnes each. ground water table in an open founda- In addition, the steel framework supp- Fig. 12 Lift with hoisting cylinder-drum tion pit to a depth of 12 m under the orts the central spindle columns which from M.A.N. 1906 ground. Further lowering to the rele- take on the excess load when the vant foundation depth was achieved balance between the caisson and the using a pneumatic process. counterweight is disturbed. The rack Drum for The foundation was completed in 1929 ladders and guides along which the cleft water

after a construction period of about 2 caisson moves up and down are also Drive years. attached to the steel framework. On its Ballast western side, the framework supports the vertical gates which seal the upper The constructional steelwork reach from the lift and all the other Elevation approx. 36 m auxiliary facilities necessary for Tank length 90 m The constructional steelwork of the connecting the caisson. Tank width 12 m boat lift is divided into four parts: In cross-section, the framework con- Proposal for a boat lift constrution from 1906

10 11 sists of two-hinged frames, two of metres connects the boat lift with the gate with the operating gear which dimensions guarantee room for four which are supported by lateral braces. upper reach. The bridge tank has a effects the lifting and lowering pro- vessels to berth next to each other In longitudinal section, there are eight waterlevel width of 28 m (total width cess. The gates are sealed by a U- and to sail past. The lower approach of these two-hinged frames; actually, 34 m) and a water depth of 3.00 m. shaped rubber moulding running has a water-level width of 68.80 m and two frames at a time are joined The main loads of the canal bridge are around the water cross-section. The a sole width of 41 m. In both approach- together by longitudinal bonds ("inter- transmitted by the two middle piers to necessary compression of the rubber es, electric towing locomotives taken ior and exterior wall") to form a three- load-bearing foundation soil. The is produced by the water pressure on over from the staircase of locks towed dimensional double-frame. The two foundations of the hinged piers situa- the gate. There are timber fender the vessels without their own propulsion towers in the centre of the boat lift are ted about 37 m from the lift had to be beams in front of the pound lock gates from the tank. In the course of the connected by special bonds into a just as deep as the foundation piers of to protect the gates from any possible transition from tug shipping to push middle tower, which has the effect of a the boat lift. Because of their flexibility, collisions with arriving vessels. In case shipping, the electric towing locomotives constrained framework lengthways to the hinged piers allow for temperature- the upper pound lock gate suddenly were taken out of service. Barges with- the boat lift. The four central spindle related longitudinal variations in the malfunctions or has to be repaired, an out their own propulsion are today columns, the rack ladders and the four steel construction. Two watertight con- auxiliary gate of the same size is towed out by a winch traction facility, lateral braces are installed in this traction joints take this fact into located about 3 metres in front of the while the push boat pushes them into middle tower. account as well. actual gate. It also serves as a cut-off the entrance. Two other two-hinged frames form the if any cleaning or repair work has to be The upper approach, the mooring west tower which is connected in a carried out on the upper reach pillars, the route of entry and the longitudinally traversable manner with The gates connection in the underwater zone. abutments of the canal bridge were the middle tower. The east tower Another gate which can be locked by all built on dry land. formed by the remaining two two- The tank gates and the pound lock remote control is situated in the upper hinged frames is permanently connect- gates are built as vertical gates. Each approach at the end of the canal brid- ed to the middle tower by the cable tank gate is 12.5 m wide and 3.50 m ge. It serves, on the one hand, for the The mechanical and electrical sheave girders. The lower pound high. They close the tank at both drainage of the canal bridge for moni- technology sealing, an independent structural sides. The pound lock gates close the toring, maintenance and repair work component beside the steel frame- upper and lower pounds respectively. and, on the other hand, as an emer- Strictly speaking, the boat lift is a work, supports the vertical door which One tank gate weighs approx. 23 ton- gency seal in the case of leakage in gigantic machine which required a seals off the lower pound and the nes. The pound lock gates have the the canal bridge or the canal route. large share of structural engineering facilities for connecting the caisson as same width but are slightly taller and This gate was assembled on site as a for its construction and functioning. well as their operating gear. thus also slightly heavier. separate structure. There are a large number of mechan- The complete boat lift framework is The gate bodies consist of a sectional ical drives on the lift, for example the about 60 m high, 94 m long and 27 m steel construction, on the air side of caisson, the pound lock gates and the wide. It is made of St 37 structural which a sheet-metal skin has been The lock approaches tank gates, the sealing frames, the steel. The steel framework was con- riveted. The tank gates, which have shuttering and drainage systems and structed between 17 February 1931 been renovated, are a welded con- Even when the first descent, the stair- so on. and the spring of 1932 using a special struction. The gates are driven trans- case of locks, was being built, allow- Let us take a look at the mechanical gantry crane. Most of the structural versely and longitudinally on rollers. ances were made for the planned technology of the caisson movement. components were delivered to Counterweights running on cables second descent. The upper entrance The caisson is moved by four rack- Niederfinow by railway and brought nearly equalise the weight of the gates. was thus continued as a straight and-pinion drives. The racks are fixed over the Finow Canal by railway ferry. In order to close the gate securely, lengthening of the canal. onto the lift framework, while the drive The components were riveted together there is a gate excess load of approx. The upper approach has a length of pinions are fixed onto the caisson. at the building site. 1 tonne in closed position. A second 1,200 m, a water-level width of 66 m Each rack-and-pinion drive is connect- The canal bridge with a length of 157 cable, the hoisting cable, connects the and a sole width of 35.60 m. These ed with a safety catch which catches

12 13

the caisson in the case of larger distur- Excitation generator: 15 kW; 230 V bances in equilibrium. It consists of an DC; 25% duty irreversible screw spindle (rotary cross- cycle; 14,50 rpm piece), which is moved in a full-length slotted nut (central spindle column). The major overhaul in the years 1984- These central spindle columns are 85 included the larger part of the Cable sheaves connected to the lift framework while mechanical engineering and electro- the rotary crosspieces are fitted to the technical systems. During this period, caisson. The drive units are accommo- all 256 cables were replaced, all cable Cable sheave girders dated in engine rooms on the super- sheave supports were replaced, and Cables structure of the caisson. They are the electrical systems of the upper and Walkway connected with each other by a lower pounds as well as the caisson Rack ladder shafting loop line (ø 130 mm) to were renewed. After a short interrup- guarantee complete synchronisation. tion further repairs took place in the Each of the four drives consists of a following areas: Central spindle column Counterweights spring-mounted pinion driven via four Pinion spur-geared back gears by an electric reconditioning of the sealing frame motor. A direct-current motor is the drives of the upper and lower drive unit for each machine. The motor pounds, operates on the first countershaft via a renewal of the ring shaft, flexible membrane clutch. construction of the winch traction Drive facility with original reproduction of Lateral braces The electrical installations on the the towing towers. Upper and lower caisson are primarily for the operation pillar units Main caisson girder of the caisson. The four drive motors Repair measures will be completed Rotary crosspiece are direct-current shunt motors of a within the next few years with the Cable compensation power of 55 kW (75 horsepower). The reconditioning of the rotary cross- chain speed of the four motors is regulated pieces. Through the regeneration of automatically by the control unit using the elements of the system, it is Caisson cross girder the Ward-Leonard speed-control possible to maintain the tried and system in a range of 60 to 700 revolu- tested technology at a level which tions per minute, during one trip from prolongs the working life of the boat start to stop. The technical specifica- lift and allows continued, uninterrupted tions of the Ward-Leonard converter operation. are:

Drive motor: 310 kW; 380 V three-phase Seal current; 25% duty Largest elevation: 37,21 m cycle; 140 rpm Caisson length: 85,00 m Caisson widt: 12,00 m Control generator: 277 kW; 479 V DC; 25% duty cycle; 1,450 rpm Schematic cross-section of the boat lift

16 17 Shipping Traffic winter temperatures and is as follows for the boat lift: The section which ices over first and thaws last (the summit reach from Upper pound Clearance Caisson The individual processes of lifting and Niederfinow to Lehnitz) determines as lowering are already described in a rule a halt to shipping as a result of another part of this brochure. These icing over from mid-December to procedures are controlled by four staff March. An evaluation of many years of from the Eberswalde Office of icing over in the period from 1950 to Waterways and Shipping. The shift 1995 showed an average icing over Pound lock manager has overall control. He keeps period of 67 days, on 33 of which gate the statistics, receives the shipping navigation was completely impossible announcements over the radio, distri- and therefore closed. In this connec- Caisson butes the starting numbers and pre- tion, however, the clear differences gate scribes the order of lockage and thus between mild and hard winters must Rubber diaphragm the caisson allocation. The caisson be stressed. driver controls all mechanical pro- During this above-mentioned forced cesses. The towing men handle the break in winter, there is a regularly mooring of barges to the caisson and ordered closing of the boat lift for Caisson base the towing of non-propulsive barges. necessary maintenance and repair rubber moulding They accompany these to their waiting works. As a rule, this planned closing places and moor them to the bollards. for shipping takes place between 3 Caisson shield January and 15 March each year The entire route of the Havel-Oder (depending on the extent of the Brass plates Waterway begins at km 0.0 repairs). Sealing frame (Spandauer Havel mouth), continuing After this, the boat lift works without Diagram of the sealing system on to Lehnitz lock (the so-called Havel any significant interruptions until the reach), then from Lehnitz at km 28.60 new icing over of the canal. In so- to Niederfinow (the so-called summit called dry years, there were restric- reach with sealed route from tions for navigation or a lowering of the Marienwerder to Niederfinow) and from permissible draught, for example in the Niederfinow boat lift to 1959 -10 cm, in 1963 -5 cm, in 1992 Hohensaaten lock at km 92.80 (the so- -40 cm (from 15 August to 2 September). called Oder reach), before proceeding In normal weather conditions however, along the Hohensaaten-Friedrichsthal the feeding of the canal, the balance of Waterway until km 135.0 at the mouth seepage, evaporation and lockage of the river. It allows vessels water, is guaranteed by the Lieben- of many different load capacities in walde weir, so that the maximum individual sections of the waterway. allowed draught (from 1959 to 1963 - 175 m, from 1963 - 185 cm, from 1985 The shipping period (the period from - 200 cm and since 1996 - 190 cm) is Partial view of the sealing frame the opening of shipping to the closing usually available for navigation. of shipping) is dependant upon the From the opening of the boat lift in

18 19 1934 until the end of its 60th year of operation, about 127 million tonnes of freight were locked from the hill to the valley or vice-versa. The "Locked tonnage and freight tonnes per year" diagram clearly shows the develop- ment of the traffic volume for tonnage (possible load quantity) and freight tonnes (actual load quantity corresponding to the allowed draught).

The main types of goods are building materials, coal, and fertiliser, as well as iron ore and scrap metal. Locked tonnage and freight tonnes per year Locked tonnage and freight goods tonnes goods tonnage View of the boat lift from the south of the lower approach

20 21 Specifications of the Niederfinow boat lift

A brief data overview

Start of construction: 1927 Opening: 21 March 1934

Required were: 72,000 m3 of concrete 14,000 t of steel 27,5 million Reichsmarks

The boat lift is approx. 60 m high 94 m long 27 m wide

The piers extend 20 m under the ground. The sole of the caisson or tank chamber consists of a 4 m thick concrete slab.

The caisson weighs 4,290 t (with water) is compensated by 256 wire cables each 52 mm in diameter (parallel lay) via 128 cable sheaves (double grooved) each 3.5 m in diameter with 192 counterweights.

The lifting elevation 36 m process at a speed of 12 cm/s through 4 drive pinions with 4 direct current motors The southern line of cable sheaves on the uppermost storey of the boat lift each 75 horsepower (55 kW) and takes 20 min (=~by the staircase of locks in the past).

The upper connection to the Oder-Havel-Canal is made by the

Canal bridge: It is 145,96 m long and was built of 4,000 t of steel.

22 23 Outlook Inland shipping underwent far-reaching structural changes after World War II. The Niederfinow boat lift has served The slow towed convoys which had shipping for over 60 years. It began predominated up until then were operating 16 hours a day and was replaced by fast-moving, motor- forced to take up 24-hour operation on powered freight vessels and push boat 1 May 1994 because of longer ship convoys. The largest units plying the waiting periods due to the extremely water today are 80 m long and 9.5 m high volume of traffic. wide motor-powered freight vessels In 1995, 3.3 million tonnes of freight with a maximum draught of 1.70 m at passed through the boat lift. This a load of up to 700 tonnes and 135 m represents an increase of around 50% long push boat convoys with a draught in comparison to the roughly 2 million of up to 2.00 m at a load of 1,200 tonnes. tonnes of freight each year in the Larger dimensions are absolutely eighties. impossible. The water displacement In order to maintain the importance of which these vessels produce gives rise the waterway as an environmentally to high-velocity backflow in the canal friendly and cost-effective possibility cross sections which the protective for transport in the future, it must layers of the embankment and the adapt to changing demands. These canal sole cannot withstand in the long are a further increase in transport run. The 23 km sealed stretch east of quantity and the increasing size of the boat lift in particular has incurred vessels. heavy damage. In the mid-eighties, the Freight transport via the boat lift is protective layer was reinforced and an estimated at just under 10 million ton- alternative one-way traffic system was nes for the year 2010. This freight will arranged in order to protect the seal. be transported on vessels of up to The reinforcement decreased the 110 m in length and 11.4 m in width. depth of the water to 2.80 m. Because For these volumes and these vessels, of the alternative one-way traffic a second descent structure will be system, vessels do not meet in the required and some stretches will have sealed section. The boats pass to be expanded. through this stretch in convoys. Once The present dimensions of the water- every eight hours, a convoy from Berlin way were determined by the construc- reaches the boat lift. Subsequently, tion between 1906 and 1914. At a another convoy starts in the opposite water depth of 3.00 m, it reaches a direction. Due to this arrangement, water-level width of between 33 m and ships have to wait up to 7.5 hours. 44 m. The basis for the early plans With just under 10,000 ships a year was the encounter in transit of two and 12 working hours per day, the barge convoys. total waiting time for the shipping on The largest boats were 67 m long and the Havel-Oder Waterway theoretically 8.2 m wide. With a draught of 1.75 m, adds up to more than 3,000 days per they would have been carrying a load year. A ship arrives in the caisson of the boat lift from the upper approach of around 600 tonnes.

24 25 The 1992 Federal Traffic Routes Plan stretch between Lehnitz and Nieder- provides for the improvement of this finow, as well as the construction of waterway for the safe, easy and eco- another descent structure in Nieder- nomical operation of present and finow. The development of the stretch future ships. The necessary water-level will mean an increased draught for width of 55 m at sloped embankments motor-powered freight vessels of at and 42 m at steep banks was deter- least 2.00 m and that the traffic mined in earlier projects through numer- expected by 2010 will be able to travel ous calculations and subsequently freely without waiting periods. After the confirmed in relevant tests. The Havel- completion of the new descent Oder Waterway will continue to have a structure, ships with a length of depth of 3 m, thus allowing a maxi- up to 110 m will be able to navigate mum draught of 2.2 m. This increased the Havel-Oder Waterway generally. draught will improve the efficiency of Repairs to the old boat lift will no the present motor-powered freight longer lead to six to eight week long vessels considerably. After develop- interruptions of traffic and the traffic ment is completed, the approx. 80 m expected for the year 2010 will be long canal boats developed in the GDR able to be handled safely. will be able to handle about 300 addi- tional tonnes, or roughly 55% more, Today, the waterway built in the period without additional expense. The same from 1906 to 1914 fits wonderfully into is true for the vessels currently being the natural environment. This is clearly developed in the State of Brandenburg shown by the many nature reserves especially for the conditions on eastern and protected landscape areas along German waterways (VEBIS project). its banks. In order to preserve this The Havel-Oder Waterway will be environmentally-compatible form of developed in a series of interconnected waterway, an environmental impact projects. The realisation of each pro- assessment will be carried out for ject will noticeably improve the reliabi- each project. Appropriate environ- lity and efficiency of the waterway. The mental impact studies will be carried two most important projects are the out for these assessments. These stu- development and renovation of the dies will be the basis for the way in

Niederfinow boat lift freight traffic 2004

39% 15% 16% 12% 6% 12% Coal Metals Scrap metal Fertiliser Building materials Other View from the gallery of the boat lift: The old Finow Canal can be seen in the background. 853.993 t 327.646 t 350.107 t 259.987 t 130.506 t 260.848 t

26 27 which the waterway will be designed. decision as to which side will be Bibliography (4) Straube: Das Schiffshebewerk The study for the stretch between developed will be based primarily on Niederfinow, in: "Schriften des Lehnitz and Niederfinow began in the results of the environmental Wahnbachtalsperrenverbandes 3" 1994. The following planning principles impact study. The extensive consi- Interested visitors can find further Academie Verlag, St. Augustin 1993 were derived from the first results and deration given to the importance of information about the Niederfinow boat the experience of other projects: nature and the landscape lead to hope lift in the following works, which were (5) Straube: Generalreparatur des that individual projects will be swiftly also used in this brochure: Schiffshebewerkes Niederfinow im Sloped embankments protected by implemented. The improvement of Zeitraum 1984/85 stones similar to those at present traffic conditions on the Havel-Oder (1)"Das Schiffshebewerk Niederfinow", Mitteilungen der Forschungsanstalt will ensure that animals will also be Waterway would considerably help commemorative volume, Wilhelm für Schiffahrt, Wasser- und able to cross the waterway without to ease road traffic, since inland Ernst und Sohn, Berlin 1935, in Grundbau, Berlin 1988 difficulty in future. In addition, the shipping can carry out transportation Ellerbeck: Zur Betriebseröffnung des bank area will develop like the of all kinds more economically and Schiffshebewerkes Niederfinow (6) Schinkel: Schiffshebewerke in existing areas and provide a habitat in a more environmentally-friendly Ostmann: Das Schiffshebewerk Deutschland for a large number of plants and way than any other means of trans- Niederfinow. Die Entwicklung der Westfälisches Industriemuseum, animals. port. Havel-Oder-Wasserstrasse Kleine Reihe 6, Dortmund 1991 Ellerbeck: Entwurfsarbeiten für das Single-sided development will mean Schiffshebewerk bei Niederfinow that development work in the Burkowitz: Mechanik des unsealed stretches will be restricted Hebewerkes Niederfinow to one bank. This will considerably Plarre and Contag: Sonderentwürfe reduce intervention in the relatively für die Gestaltung des valuable woodside and bank zones, Schiffshebewerkes Niederfinow especially in densely wooded areas. Plarre: Die Stahlbauten des In order for this environmentally Schiffshebewerkes Niederfinow compatible construction method to Koch and Krüger: Die maschinellen unfold its full effect, no new service Anlagen des Schiffshebewerkes roads will be developed on the bank Niederfinow not affected by development. The Koch and Krüger: Die elektrischen Anlagen des Schiffshebewerkes Niederfinow

(2)Berg/Seidel: Das Schiffshebewerk Niederfinow Wasserstrassenbetrieb und -unterhaltung, Eberswalde 1990

(3)Fischer: Das Schiffshebewerk Niederfinow, Photographs: published by Neubauamt Eberswalde Office of Waterways and Shipping (8), Eberswalde, Verlagsgesellschaft H. Raebiger (5), R. Müller mbH, Eberswalde Stuttgarter Luftbild Elsässer GmbH (1)

28 29 The Niederfinow Boat Lift