Lüneburg boat lift | Scharnebeck

The Lüneburg boat lift near Scharnebeck is one of the most important engineering structures in German inland shipping. It overcomes a maximum height difference of 38 meters on the Elbe Lateral Canal between the Geest and the Elbmarsch. The structure is located around eight kilometers northeast of Lüneburg.

Design and mode of operation

• The hoist is designed as a double vertical ship hoist: Two troughs can be operated independently of each other.
• The troughs have a usable length of 100 meters, a width of around 12 meters and a water depth of around 3.40 meters. The ships are moved up or down in the water-filled troughs like in giant elevators.
• The weight of a trough filled with water is around 6,000 tons, regardless of whether a ship is floating in it or not. This is because, according to Archimedes' principle, a ship displaces exactly as much water as it weighs.
• Each trough is suspended from 240 steel cables with a diameter of 54 mm, which are guided over large pulleys in the four towers.
• On the opposite side are 224 counterweights made of heavy concrete, each weighing around 27.2 tons.
• Each trough is driven by four electric motors, each with an output of 160 kilowatts. The lifting height of 38 meters is overcome in about three minutes.

The history

• Construction work began in 1968 as part of the new construction of the Elbe Lateral Canal.
• The first ship passed the hoist on December 5, 1975. At the time of its commissioning, it was the largest double vertical ship lift in the world.
• On July 18, 1976, just a few weeks (33 days) after the opening, a dam burst near Erbstorf due to construction defects. Around 4.5 million m³ of water escaped and flooded around 15 square kilometers of land.
• No one was injured, but the material damage amounted to around DM 20 million. After the renovation in 1977, the canal was put back into full operation.

Significance and current developments

• Today, the ship lift is a central component of the Elbe Lateral Canal, which connects the Mittelland Canal near Wolfsburg with the Elbe near Artlenburg.
• It enables goods to be transported between southern, central and northern Germany and Berlin to the port of Hamburg.
• The usable length of 100 meters is now considered a technical bottleneck, as modern large motor cargo ships and pushed convoys are up to 185 meters long.
• For this reason, the construction of a new modern lock with a usable length of around 225 meters and a width of 12.5 meters is planned. It is intended to supplement or replace the existing lift in the long term.
• The project is being supervised by the Mittelland Canal / Elbe Lateral Canal Waterways and Shipping Office and is classified as an urgent requirement in the Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan.

Visitor information

• The boat lift is accessible all year round and attracts tens of thousands of visitors every year.
• The on-site information center explains how the boat lift works, the construction of the Elbe Lateral Canal and the history of the region - with models and display boards.
• A circular route with several viewing points, including at the forebays, the visitor platforms and the park-like grounds, offers impressive insights into the operation.

Guided tours

• Guided tours for groups and school classes are offered regularly and can be booked via Jörg Ahlfeld at: www.schiffshebewerk-scharnebeck.de
• Dates for open guided tours can be found ▶here.