Zille (boat)

The term Zille (plural Zillen) is used for a family of flat-bottomed vessels which are used in the Danube River regions of Germany and Austria.

Boats with a wider aft area are also called "Plätte"; they fall under the general classification of "Zillen".

Production facilities for Zillen are mainly in the Upper Austrian Danube in the Engelhartszell area.

On the northern bank of the Danube there are two family businesses that have been building Zillen for several centuries.

The shipbuilders offer some fixed Zillen types, such as a Zille for firefighters, in standardized dimensions.

The proverbial robustness of Zillen offers good reason for the continued existence and use of this traditional watercraft.

Zille used for fishing, 1982, 10 meters in length
Historical reconstruction of an Ulmer Schachtel [ de ] ("Ulm Box"). This is a nickname for the Wiener Zille (Viennese Zille), which was used for one-way trips downriver. [ 1 ]
A Bohemian Zille, sunk in about 1850, shown with a cargo of bricks. German Museum of Technology , Berlin.
Fire brigade Zille
A modern Zille