Brandenburg: Work has begun on the Finow Canal

With the ground-breaking ceremony at the Ruhlsdorf lock The Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration (WSV) and the Finow Canal Region Special Purpose Association the start of work on the six western locks. The renewal will take place in two stages: The first three barrages in Ruhlsdorf, Leesenbrück and Grafenbrück will be built at the same time. A year later, construction work will then begin on the next three locks in Schöpfurt, Heegermühle and Wolfswinkel.

Popular for water sports

For a long time, the historic national waterway was the only navigable connection between the Oder and Havel rivers. However, with the opening of the parallel Oder-Havel Canal to the north in 1914, its importance for freight shipping diminished. Today, pleasure craft are largely among themselves on the idyllic 32-kilometre stretch.

Maintaining the permanent navigability of the Finow Canal is the overriding goal for the partners involved in order to enable sustainable economic and water tourism development for the region.

Secured financing

With the financing agreement concluded with the federal government, the funding commitment from the state of Brandenburg, the financial participation of the district of Barnim and the neighbouring municipalities as well as the permits and approvals from the specialist authorities, important prerequisites for the preservation of the lock facilities on the Finow Canal have been achieved. The federal government is contributing 50 per cent of the total investment to all construction and planning costs for the basic repair, including the automation of the locks on the Finow Canal.

Self-service in future

The new locks are designed for a service life of at least 80 years. Historic construction elements will be integrated as far as possible. In addition, the new replacements will be equipped with electric drives for self-operated automated operation, which is becoming increasingly widespread in the water sports areas in the north-east anyway.

Initially, the western six of the twelve locks on the Finow Canal will be renewed. On the eastern half of the stretch towards the Oder, ground and structural investigations are currently being prepared as a prerequisite for further planning.