The 2025 season is drawing to a close and many in Husum were barely able to make use of it. The road bridge was closed for the first extended period at the start of the season due to road resurfacing work. Boat owners only had a few days between the crane date and the three-week closure to get their boats ready and find an alternative berth outside to avoid getting stuck. This is because access to the inland harbour requires the opening of a railway bridge and a road bridge, and the inland harbour is also divided by a pedestrian bridge. The railway and road bridges are opened by a call to the Federal Railway signal box, while the pedestrian bridge can be opened by the incoming boats using the swivel provided for this purpose and then closes automatically - at least as a rule.
Chronology of the disruptions in Husum
Last year, severe damage to the railway bascule bridge had already led to week-long closures. And this year, too, it was not just the announced closure of the road bridge in May. Over the summer months, there were repeated problems with opening and closing the bridges. In the case of the pedestrian bridge, the on-call technicians from Stadtwerke had to be called out at times after every ship crossing to manually stop the bridge from closing. In the case of the railway bridge, the consequences were even more devastating: when it broke down on 1 May, trains from Hamburg ended up in Husum and those from Sylt in Niebüll and a rail replacement service had to be set up.
In June and July, there were repeated disruptions and closures on all three bridges. Due to heat damage, among other things. From the end of July, the railway bridge was only opened twice a week for inland port users under supervision due to severe damage. According to Jobst Klien from SVN, one of the cylinders is so badly bent that it can be seen with the naked eye. Overall, since the start of the season (crane date 26.4.25) to date, it has only been open 59% of the days. none bridge disruption. On 27 days (21%), the railway bridge even caused a complete closure, on 19 days (15%) the road bridge (mainly due to renovation work in the middle of the season).
Consequences for water sports enthusiasts and the harbour
The consequences are catastrophic for the Sport Boat Association. The first members of the association have already given notice because reliable cruise and holiday planning is impossible. In addition, fewer and fewer traditional ships are coming to the inland harbour. Since the Husum shipyard moved to the outer harbour, life in the inland harbour has been dominated by traditional sailing boats alongside pleasure craft, the harbour tour boat "Möwe Willi" and the restaurant ship Nordertor. Now the Windsbraut and the Najade prefer to stay in the outer harbour. "A harbour without ships is no longer a harbour," says Jobst Klien. "This is not just about the possibilities of use for a few pleasure boaters or traditional ships, but about the preservation of a cultural asset of the city of Husum that characterises the city's history and is of great economic importance."
Better communication and investment required
The recreational craft association in Husum is primarily concerned with better communication. So far, harbour users have not been informed and involved enough. It is also not about criticising those responsible for operations and maintenance, says Klien. They are trying very hard to keep the sometimes dilapidated facilities running and are themselves victims of insufficient funding for repairs and modernisation. "Any technology can fail from time to time, but the frequency of faults indicates a systematically poor condition with inadequate maintenance measures, a lack of spare parts and other structural problems, particularly at Deutsche Bahn," criticises the sports boat association. It is calling for those responsible to sit down together and remedy the situation before the inland harbour, which is so important for the town of Husum, becomes deserted.
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