The company responsible for the operation of the canals on the left Lower Saxony Water Management, Coastal Defence and Nature Conservation Agency (NLWKN) will therefore continue to offer regular lock operations for sports skippers this year despite the construction work. The agreement was reached together with the town of Haren (Ems). For pleasure craft, the passage costs 5 euros as before.
Haren-Rütenbrock canal remains usable
"Contrary to initial fears due to the construction work, the canal will remain usable for boats this year," explains Josef Schwanken, division manager of the NLWKN operations centre in Meppen. "With the new opening hours, we want to ensure both the smooth running of the construction work and the safety of passing boats on the Haren-Rütenbrock Canal."
The new opening times
1 April to 30 April:
- Column lock on the Haren-Rütenbrock Canal , Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Access from both directions, meeting traffic possible
2 May and 3 May:
- 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 1.30 p.m. to 6 p.m.
- Single locks, entry from both directions, meeting traffic possible
23 June to 17 August:
- Monday to Saturday
- Sundays with opening: 6.07.25, 13.07.25, 20.07.25, 27.07.25, 03.08.25, 10.08.25, 17.08.25
- Column locks from both directions on the Haren-Rütenbrock Canal without meeting traffic in the construction site area (entry at lock 1 in Haren: 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., entry at the border lock in Rütenbrock: 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.)
On-call service for faults
This year, the town of Haren (Ems) is once again funding an on-call service to deal with any disruptions in order to ensure smooth traffic across the bridges during off-duty periods. "However, as on any construction site, there may be delays that make short-term closures necessary. We ask for your understanding," says Schwanken.
The Haren-Rütenbrock Canal
The Haren-Rütenbrock Canal connects the Ems (and therefore the Dortmund-Ems Canal) with the Dutch canals Stadtskanaal-Winschoterdiep-Emskanaal and, since 2013, also with the new boat connection "de Veenvaart" between Erica and Ter Apel in the Netherlands. Today, it is the only navigable connection for recreational boating in north-west Germany to the Netherlands.
The preservation of this important passage was stipulated in the German-Dutch border treaty in 1976. What is particularly impressive about the Haren-Rütenbrock Canal is not only its listed buildings, but also the 100-year-old oak avenues that were planted during the construction period. There are four locks and twelve bridges to pass through on the boat trip to the Netherlands.
