Elbe–Weser waterway

Template: Infobox River / GKZ_fehlt

Elbe-Weser waterway

The Elbe -Weser waterway is a shortcut between the lower Elbe and the Weser River with a length of 54.7 kilometers for small coasters. At this channel path includes 60 km and 45 km of dikes channel channel -ways. It starts in Otter village with the Hadelner channel from Bad Bederkesa as Bederkesa Geestemünde channel to Geestemünde that flows into the Weser in Bremerhaven. Owned by the Land of Lower Saxony, entertain it is from the Lower Saxony Water Management, Coastal Defence and Nature Conservation Agency (NLWKN ) in the operating station Stade, now cares only about the maintenance for drainage, as the economic part with commercial shipping and the busiest years in the late 1960s, from 1973 but still continued to decline and now virtually ceased to exist.

History

Very early on wanted the leaders in the Elbe - Weser triangle build a connection between the Elbe and the Weser, because the ships had to make a big bow around Cuxhaven, Neuwerk and Scharhörn. This detour was necessary because the Wadden Sea is unnavigable and the shallows in the area between the Weser and the Elbe estuary. In stormy seas could also venture the passage no small ships. The first records between Saxe-Lauenburg, the archbishopric of Bremen and the Hadlern are dated to the year 1542. Already from 1608 to 1609 a section was excavated, but filled at the direction of the Archbishop of Bremen again. Other experiments were 1661, 1768 to 1773 Under French rule, another plan was from 1806 to 1811 worked, but not realized.; this plan 's aim was to create a connection between the Oste and Geestemünde.

Hadelner channel

Only by building the Hadelner channel ( also erroneously Hadeler or Hadler channel called ), an approximately 32 km long navigable drainage channel between the Elbe near Otter village and the lake at Bad Bederkesa the waterway was possible. It was built of Hadelner channel from 1852 to 1855 and served until the 1990s, in addition to the drainage, especially the small coastal vessels and recreational craft as a shortcut between the Weser and the Elbe.

The channel is designed up to five meters for vessels with a length of 33.5 m and a width. A draft of up to 1.5 m is possible, as well, due to the many bridges, a maximum height of 2.7 m. These official figures are today but only theoretical because the channel is not " managed " and reports on deviations accumulate.

Bederkesa Geestemünde channel

The Bederkesa Geestemünde Canal was built in the years 1858-1860, as the Hadelner channel was seen as economically successful turned out and a connection to Bremerhaven as necessary. However, these 11 km were passable only to the construction of the lock in the Geestemünde 1898, there was too low due to the lock the water level. Only through the depression from 1935 to 1937 was possible again a navigation of barges. Other wells for larger motor coasters occurred between 1957 and 1961.

The Geestemünde

The Geestemünde rises in Hipstedt in the district of Rotenburg ( Wümme) ten kilometers west of Bremervörde and drained a large part of the former district Wesermünde (now the district of Cuxhaven ).

The construction of the third lock 1898 in the Geestemünde made ​​this river, although independent of the tide, but also meant that the water depth in the channel Geestemünde was too low. So to 1935 a limited ship traffic was only possible. After wide construction projects, in the year 1957 to 1961 and the establishment of a tide and storm surge barrier plant in Bremerhaven, the vessel traffic improved significantly.

Smuggle

The Hadelner channel has a lock in Otter Village, a smuggling takes place regularly and in winter by appointment only during the summer months instead.

In Lintig in Bederkesa Geestemünde Channel is the second lock, it can be operated year-round even from each Schiffer.

The sluice in Bremerhaven removed daily.

In the Geestemünde initially located the ship villages floodgate and on the eastern edge of the Bremerhaven Tidesperrwerk. From there to the mouth of the water level of the tides depends.

Shortly before the opening of the Geeste in Bremerhaven, the storm surge barrier is under the Kennedy Bridge, which was completed in 1961.