Henrichenburg boat lift

The Henrichenburg boat lift facilitates a change in elevation of the Dortmund-Ems-Kanal in Waltrop-Oberwiese.

The Henrichenburg boat lift is a popular destination for cyclists along the canals of the northern Ruhr Area.

This technically very interesting construction managed to lift approximately 1000 tonnes of ship and water filled trough using a relatively small amount of power.

The trough was supported by 5 cylindrical floats each immersed in 40 metre deep water-filled wells.

Four steel worm gears, 20 metres long and 280 mm in diameter were used to direct the trough in the appropriate course.

In the lower dock are the former police and fireboat Cerberus of 1930 and the motorvessel Franz-Christian of 1929 with an exhibition of working life on board in the cargo hold.

Without the lift, any problems or maintenance requirements on the modern lock would bring about the closure of Dortmund Port, as is the case in the summer of 2021, when visitors to the site saw the lock gates dismantled and lying in the chamber for repair, causing a six week stoppage.