Water saving lock and ship lift Rothensee

The Rothensee water saving lock was the first building of the ambitious Waterway Junction project which was put into operation on 21st May 2001.
The facility is designed as a water-saving lock, i.e. 60 % of the water remains in the three locks whereas only 40% of the water is pumped back into the canal for downward lockage.   Hence the name "water saving lock” for a facility designed to “save” 60% of the lock water. 

The Rothensee facility also includes a roofed platform, located 13m above the water level of the Mittelland Canal, which is open to visitors and offers a great view of the lock in operation with a lockage time of 30 minutes.

The ship lift has been in operation since 1938 enabling vessels and ships to continue their downstream journey from the Mittelland Canal to the Magdeburg port and the Elbe by passing through the water-filled lock chamber with its 5400 ton capacity. The Rothensee water saving lock has a lifting height of 11 to 18m, depending on the water level of the river Elbe. The lock chamber itself is 85m long and 12m wide with a depth of 2.5m. These dimensions are however not large enough for today’s huge cargo vessels to pass through. The entire lockage times takes up to 40 minutes including entry and exit of the ship or vessel.

A visit is always worth your while since you can see for yourself the rapid development of water transport technology from the old ship lift, now a historical and technical monument, to the state-of-the-art water saving lock.