Teltow Canal

The Teltowkanal ( TeK ) is a 38.39 km long canal in Berlin and the southern area around Berlin, which was founded at the beginning of the 20th century. It combines the Spree- Oder Waterway ( Dahme, a tributary of the River Spree ) with the Lower Havel Waterway (Potsdamer Havel ). As a federal waterway waterways of class IV with restrictions on the channel runs through the states of Berlin and Brandenburg and partially forms their border. Legally part of the TeK nor the Federal Waterways: Griebnitzkanal (formerly Prince Friedrich Leopold Canal), Zehlendorf branch canal and Britz connecting channel ( the Spree ) (formerly Britz branch channel). Responsible for managing the Water and Shipping Authority Berlin.

Location

The Teltowkanal is a southern bypass of Berlin for shipping. The flow direction is from east to west. The chainage counts from west to east; it begins at the eastern end of the Glienicke Lake in Potsdam Kleinglienicke with 0.00 km and ends at km 37.84 between Köpenick and Grunau on the Dahme.

The channel begins legally at the western end of the Glienicke Lake, branching off from the Potsdamer Havel, at -0.55 km and passes through the Griebnitzsee, which is located between Berlin -Wannsee and Potsdam -Babelsberg and is part of the river system in the Havel. At the east end of the Griebnitzsee Griebnitzkanal branches off to the north- east to Lake Wannsee. After passing train and S- Bahn line of the Berlin- Potsdam at Kohlhasenbrück and the motorway A115 at Three Linden he reached the place Stahnsdorf and then Kleinmachnow with the Machnower lake and the historic "New " Hakeburg. West at 8.34 km is the only channel level, the lock system Kleinmachnow, with an average drop height of 2.86 m.

From Neu -Babelsberg to Kohlhasenbrück and between Berlin -Zehlendorf and the town of Teltow the channel forms the border between Berlin and Brandenburg. At km 13,49 the Zehlendorf branch canal branches off to the north. From there, the Teltow canal runs over lights field, Steglitz, Lankwitz, Tempelhof, Neukölln and Treptow Grunau. Am Kanal 28.30 kilometers, crossing the Britz -east harbor, branches of Neukölln Ship Canal as a national waterway to the north and the Britz connecting passage east to the Spree- Oder Waterway ( Treptower Spree).

If you wanted to in the Spree- Oder waterway, had in 1990 left the Teltow Canal at Britz -east harbor and continue his journey on the 3.39 km long Britz Duct to Spree- Oder waterway. The further course of the Teltow Canal was closed between 34.1 km and 36.6 km, since it had yet to be eliminated large amounts of highly contaminated sludge from the GDR era. Since April 2000, this section is ( often different than stated ) passable again, so that you can continue to the Spree - Oder waterway now here.

The lowest bridge headroom at average water level is at 4.50 meters. The maximum loaded draft is 2.00 m at a water depth of 2.60 m, except in the section channel from 34.10 to 37.84 km. Here is just approved a draft of 1.75 m. The water level width not less than 37 m.

History

The Teltow Canal, was built at the initiative of the district administrator of the district of Teltow, Ernst von Stubenrauch. For the western part of the bed of the channel Bäkefließes, the former Telte was used to a large extent, which ran from Spruce Mountain in Berlin- Steglitz Griebnitzsee. Except for two small cuts in Steglitz and in the nature reserve Bäketal Kleinmachnow the Bäke has completely disappeared. The Lanke, the Lankwitz gave the name and culminated in the Bäke on Birkbusch, the engineers also served as a bed for the channel.

Ground was broken on December 22, 1900 in Babelsberg, the channel was put into operation on June 2, 1906, Kaiser Wilhelm II, who sailed it was also the first with his yacht Alexandria in the Kleinmachnower lock. The full completion of the canal withdrew because of problems in structural engineering field lights, a few months back. The canal was planned to relieve the time consuming rain and because of the locks ship traffic in the center of Berlin, brought together a way shortening the traffic between the Elbe and the Oder of around 16 km, should new industrial and residential settlements at the gates allow Berlin and at the same time as its receiving the storm water runoff of situated at him suburbs of Berlin to record. At times, be up to 2550 workers were employed, half of them foreigners from Eastern Europe. The Britz connecting channel and the Neukölln shipping canal were already scheduled.

A Treidelverkehr set - As it turned out, that the channel was undersized for the designed traffic was - also to protect the shore. Thus, the then usual barges were pulled by electric Treidellokomotiven in the channel. For this purpose in the field of ports bridges had been built for the continuous Treidellokverkehr. For entertainment, the waterway, the Treidelbetriebs and maintenance of locomotives Teltowkanal - Bauverwaltung taught between the channel 11.35 kilometers and 11.54 in Schönow a Bauhafen and a yard, from the 1924 Teltow- yard emerged. For power supply built the engineering firm Havestadt & Contag - responsible for all canals - on the yard a "Electrical Centrale ", the later Kraftwerk Schönow. The electrical Treidelbetrieb was not resumed after 1945.

As a monument to a locomotive and the front section of a barge be issued at the Emil Schulz bridge over the Königsbergerstraße. As an alternative to Treidelbahn experimented operators in the early years of the channel with the electrically operated tug Teltow, but the system did not prove itself.

After 1945, the Teltowkanal long time was only accessible via the connecting channel and the Britz Neukölln Ship Canal. Under an agreement between the GDR and Berlin ( West), the canal was opened on November 20, 1981 by west. It had taken extensive construction work, which led to the dimensions given above.

For the 100th anniversary of the canal's construction of the waterway took place between the 6th and 11th June 2006, a hard week at the listed Kleinmachnow lock and at other locations along instead.

Remediation and former expansion plans

Once in the 1980s to West Berlin territory, the route was extended itself as a rectangular profile or as a combined rectangular trapezoidal profile was made after 1990, the repair and upgrade of the riverbanks in the area of ​​crossing bridges.

Originally a further expansion of the Teltow Canal as so-called Südtrasse Berlin in the course of the transport project German unit was (VDE ) No 17 planned to use this with large inland cargo vessels ( Large Rhine, 110 meters in length ) and large convoys (185 meters long) can. The Kleinmachnow lock would have to be increased considerably for this. After a re-evaluation of the project, a development on the waterways of class IV addition, however, no longer planned.

Water quality

The channel is considered for a long time as one of the most polluted waters of Berlin, as several sewage treatment plants discharging into water the Teltow Canal. At the height of Wegedornstrasse bridge initiates the treatment plant Waßmannsdorf in Kleinmachnow the WWTP Stahnsdorf. The proposal also opens from April to October near the Bäkebrücke the sewage water of the WWTP Ruhleben. The polluted water of the Teltow Canal also affects the water quality of the Potsdamer waters.

Because of the temporary inflow of polluted water from the Griebnitzsee in the Griebnitzkanal was thinking in West Berlin to build a sluice in the region of the branch of Griebnitzkanals from the Griebnitzsee. Thus, the influx of bad water should be prevented by the chain of lakes of the channel in the Wannsee. About the planning phase of this project, however, did not come out. Until 1998 (km 20.68 ) treated wastewater from sewage treatment plant was initiated by Marie Felde. However, the bacterial load was still high. At the beginning of the 21st century, the water quality in the Teltow Canal has become much better. Angled fish should be consumed due to the increased PCP content still is not.

Gallery

The channel height in Teltow in winter

The channel in Berlin light field at the Birkbuschstraße (in the background Klinikum Benjamin Franklin )

The channel in Berlin- Lankwitz, Near Leonorenstraße

Border facilities at Albrechts Teerofen, 1988

Warning sign for West Berlin boaters in Kohlhasenbrück, 1988