{"id":19978,"date":"2021-12-31T12:37:00","date_gmt":"2021-12-31T10:37:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/?p=19978"},"modified":"2021-12-23T10:53:11","modified_gmt":"2021-12-23T08:53:11","slug":"magdeburg-waterway-crossing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/germany\/saxony-anhalt\/magdeburg\/magdeburg-waterway-crossing\/","title":{"rendered":"Gigantic structure – Magdeburg waterway crossing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

“Waterway crossing Magdeburg – what’s so special about that? It’s just the crossing of two rivers or canals. “That was my first thought when we decided to stop there briefly on our way back from Magdeburg to Berlin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Now I know better. The Magdeburg waterway crossing is something special: an impressive structure, an impressive architectural and technical achievement!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Wasserstra\u00dfenkreuzung<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Rothensee lock and boat lift<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We start our “short” excursion to the Magdeburg waterway crossing at the car park for the lock near the Rothensee lock and boat lift (If you want to see the exact route, there is a map with directions at the end of the text). From the car park it is only a few metres’ walk to a staircase leading to a viewing platform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rothensee lock<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The lock is located on the Rothenseer Verbindungskanal, which connects the Mittellandkanal with the Elbe. It replaces the ship’s hoist located directly next to it, which, from a technical point of view, no longer meets the necessary requirements today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the visitor platform you have a great overview of the locks and we were lucky enough to be able to follow a lock process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Schiffseinfahrt<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The lock chamber was already open and a ship coming from the Mittelland Canal entered the 190 metre long and 12.50 metre wide chamber. After the ship had loosely moored – the lock went “down” and the rope thus had to be lengthened more and more in the course of the process – the gate closed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Schiff<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Now something happened that I had never seen before at a lock. The Rothensee lock was built as a so-called economy lock. This means that they wanted to keep water consumption as low as possible. To the east of the lock chamber, you can see three rows of catch basins from the viewing platform. These were still empty at the beginning of the lock process and now gradually began to fill with water at a rapid pace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Wasserbecken<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

If the process runs in the other direction, i.e. the ship is lifted and not lowered as it was during our visit, the water is pumped out of these chambers into the lock trough. This saves about 60% of the water needed per lock operation. Only 40% of the demand flows out of the Mittelland Canal, it is pumped back and thus replaced. This is necessary because the Mittelland Canal has no natural inflow over long stretches and would otherwise lose too much water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Schiffausfahrt<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I found the lock process very exciting to watch, especially by observing the catch basins in combination with the sinking water level in the lock trough. When the ship then continued on its way, we too set off and walked further along the road towards the ship lift.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rothensee ship lift<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Actually, the ship lift has become superfluous for traffic on the waterway today. It is too small and much too slow. But today it is a technical monument and continues to be used, albeit on a reduced scale. It is precisely the pleasure craft and small boats that still use the ship lift. They can’t use the sluice gate because of the water currents there; it would be too dangerous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Blick<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Construction of the ship lift began in the 1930s. For many years, all shipping traffic from Western Europe to West Berlin passed through this facility. At normal water levels, the lift compensates for a height difference of 16 metres. Each lifting operation takes about 3 minutes, and if you add to that the time it takes to drive in and out and to open and close the gates, it takes a ship over 20 minutes to pass the lift. About 70 lifting operations per day are possible. The permissible ship size is limited to 1,000 tonnes and, since the trough is only 85 metres long and 12.2 metres wide, not all ships can choose the route over the ship lift today\u2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Wasserstra\u00dfenkreuzung<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, we were unable to observe any lifting operations during our visit; there was not even a ship waiting nearby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Directly behind the facility, a path leads up to the Rothensee descent canal. If you follow this path, you can walk along the Mittelland Canal to the trough bridge at the Magdeburg waterway crossing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Ausfahrt<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Magdeburg waterway crossing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

According to the definition, a waterway crossing is a crossing of at least two waterways that are navigable. So far it is clear that if two waterways of the same level approach each other, they can cross without any problems. It only becomes a problem when the waterways are not at the same level. Then you need a technical solution to realise the crossing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Magdeburg, this solution is a gigantic trough bridge and, to change from one waterway to another, the ship lift or lock. These structures make it possible to cross the Mittelland Canal over the Elbe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Wasserstra\u00dfenkreuzung<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Planning history<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As early as the beginning of the 20th century, the first thoughts arose about building a waterway crossing. Construction of the Mittelland Canal began in 1905 and the Rothensee ship lift was completed in 1938. Construction of the first arches of the canal bridge had even begun when the Second World War brought construction to a standstill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the war, the project was not interesting for the GDR government. In order to create an East-West connection, it would have cost a lot of material and manpower. Since this connection was not considered necessary, unfinished construction elements stood on the riverbank for over 60 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Trogbr\u00fccke<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

After reunification, the intention was to unite the shipping of the two German states as quickly as possible. To this end, plans were made to expand the waterway from Hanover via Magdeburg to Berlin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since 2001, the Rothensee lock has replaced the outdated ship lift and in 2003 the Magdeburg canal bridge of the Mittelland Canal across the Elbe was completed<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Walk along the Mittelland Canal across the Elbe River<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

After we had reached the exit of the Rothensee ship lift via a staircase shortly after the ship lift, we walked directly along the water in the direction of the trough bridge. The path is paved and can also be easily travelled by bicycle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At first there were hardly any ships on the Mittelland Canal, but that changed quickly. Large push boats pushed past us and before we really noticed, we were standing at the beginning of the huge trough bridge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Wasserstra\u00dfenkreuzung<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Here, too, you can continue walking next to the canal and cross the Elbe on foot. The thought that not only we, but also the water weighing tons and the not much lighter ship were just on a bridge was strange. One can only hope that the structural engineers have calculated correctly and that the workmen have done a good job. It’s impressive what you can build. The bridge almost looks like a huge bathtub and sometimes you can even feel slight vibrations when a ship passes by.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Wasserstra\u00dfenkreuzung<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The view of the Elbe from the bridge is worth seeing. Arriving at the end of the canal bridge, it started to rain and we sought shelter under the bridge. A good idea, not only did we stay dry, but I would not have liked to miss the view between the pillars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Unter<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A little later we were able to make our way back. If you want, you can then walk on the other side of the bridge, but after the bridge you have to change sides again to get back to the ship lift.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A really nice and varied walk!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Magdeburg waterway crossing – hiking trail<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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