Lippe lock Heessen

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Lippe lock Heessen (2013)
Lower gate of the Heessen lock (before 1900)

The Lippe Lock Heessen takes its name from the nearby Heessen Castle  in the Hamms district of the same name . As one of twelve locks in the Lippe , it ensured sufficient water depth and constant water level to enable shipping on the Lippe from Wesel to Lippstadt in the 19th century. Today it is a monument and is only used by pleasure boats.

Between 1823 and 1827 the Lippe was made navigable by the Prussian state. Sandbanks, cliffs and the uneven water level as well as the customs limits that had existed up until then had prevented this beforehand. This lock was built in 1825/26 and put into operation on October 15, 1826. It is approximately 28 meters long (85 Prussian feet) and almost 5 meters (15 feet) wide. The building material was mostly brickwork and sandstone at the entrances and exits. The gate to the underwater is designed as a miter gate (see picture), the one to the upper water is a lifting gate. This has meanwhile been given steel supports to reinforce the flood and an electric drive. Otherwise, the lock's original state has been preserved.

Today the lock is only used by sport boats and for construction maintenance.

The neighboring barrage is not historic, it was built in the 1960s. The Lippe was completely rerouted over the lock stretch, which the local canoe club used for slalom events. The original lip jam was between the lock and the lock.

The Lippe lock has been a monument since 1991, which not only provides information about the early hydraulic engineering in Prussia , but also documents the importance of the Lippe canalization for the development of working and production conditions. Transport shifted from Hellweg, just a few kilometers south, to shipping. Later, the railroad and the canals on the side of the Lippe replaced the transport on the Lippe.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Canoe Association Hamm, Association history
  2. ↑ Monument entry

Web links

Commons : Lippeschleuse Heessen  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 51 ° 41 ′ 50.8 "  N , 7 ° 50 ′ 53.3"  E