Old trip (Dortmund-Ems Canal)
A disused section of the Dortmund-Ems Canal near Olfen is known as the old trip . The 8,650 meter long section extends from the Datteln Canal Cross (canal kilometer 21.5) to behind Olfen (30.3 km).
The Dortmund-Ems Canal was opened in 1899. In the area of the Alte Fahrt, the canal was provided with particularly high dams, at 5600 meters higher than twelve and at 2775 meters higher than nine meters. In addition, five canal overpasses had been built in this area, three of which were road, Lippe and Stever crossings. From 1929 to 1937 the first new, rapid route was built from Datteln in the direction of Lüdinghausen. The Dortmund-Ems Canal received a total of eight "second trips". They had become necessary to take account of the increased volume of traffic with larger types of ships. In particular, the bridge structures, which did not allow the ships to meet each other, had previously delayed the rapid transport of goods. The building was also a job creation measure by the National Socialists , which was completed after prisoners from the Börgermoor concentration camp came to power .
Canal flyovers
Shortly after the canal cross, at the level of the Klaukenhof amusement park, there is the canal bridge over Pelkumer Weg at canal kilometer 22.2. A little further north, the canal crosses the Lippe with the Alte Fahrt canal bridge built in 1895 at a height of 18 meters above the water level . This bridge at canal kilometer 23.2 is 16 meters wide and 70 meters long and is supported by three arches. The feed-in structure that supplied the canal with water from the Lippe was also located directly on the bridge. A road is crossed in Olfen; Because of the 60-degree angle between the canal and the road, it is called the Leaning Bridge . Shortly behind the town center is the canal bridge over the Stever , similar to the Lippe Bridge, designed in three arches, but only about 10 meters above the surface of the water. Further north there was another road bridge at the level of federal highway 235, which was later moved there .
All canal overpasses were designed under the direction of the Royal Prussian Senior Building Director Karl Hinckeldeyn in the style of historicism and clad with Ruhr sandstone .
remodeling
After the completion of the new route, the old section was still in operation as an alternative arm for a while, but was eventually renatured and is now home to biotopes . The water level is lowered for the safety of the embankments and crossed by earth walls.
As early as 1980, the Recklinghausen district and the city of Datteln strived to maintain the Alte Fahrt. Since Olfen otherwise had hardly any water areas according to the sports area plan, the old trip was also used as a bathing opportunity. Other leisure activities were camping, hiking and cycling as well as water sports with motor boats, which also use the Olfen harbor.
The Westphalian Office for the Preservation of Monuments at the Regional Association of Westphalia-Lippe declared that the canal overpasses “were a milestone in the history of technology in the Ruhr area”. The Federal Waterway Administration highlighted safety and cost considerations. In an exchange of views, four variants of subsequent use were discussed, ranging from largely abandoning water bodies to complete preservation. In 1986 the planning approval procedure was completed and the current usage variant was decided. Except for the northernmost bridge, all structures were to be preserved.
The Alte Fahrt is separated from the Datteln Sea by a sheet pile wall and an earth wall. The 700 meter long stretch to the first canal overpass consists of a continuous water surface, before and after the road crossing there are earth walls in the water bed. As far as the Olfen harbor there is still water in the canal bed, secured at irregular intervals by earth walls. The dams are now covered with trees. After the harbor basin, which has now been significantly reduced, the dams are still preserved, but the trough is filled with earth and designed as a cycle and hiking trail. After the Stever Bridge, the former canal section descends, but can still be seen in the landscape through planting. At canal kilometer 29.5, an approximately 800-meter-long section has been preserved in its original state and is directly connected to the Dortmund-Ems canal. It is used as a marina.
swell
- Andreas Kleinebenne: Road with right of way: 100 years of the Dortmund-Ems Canal. Klartext Verlag, 1999, ISBN 3-8847-4744-4 .
- LWL internet portal Westphalian history on the old journey
Individual evidence
- ↑ City of Olfen: Sights ( Memento of the original from January 28, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed February 4, 2012.
Coordinates: 51 ° 40 ′ 45 " N , 7 ° 22 ′ 34" E