Markkleeberg Canoe Park
The Markkleeberg Canoe Park is one of the most modern whitewater facilities in the world and, besides the Augsburg Ice Canal, the second artificial whitewater facility in Germany suitable for the World Cup .
location
The Markkleeberg canoe park is located as part of the Leipziger Neuseenland on the southeast coast of the Markkleeberger See , a flooded former open- cast lignite mine in the south of the city of Markkleeberg / OT Auenhain bordering Leipzig .
It complies with the new guidelines for canoe slalom from the International Canoe Association . The facility is technically comparable to the Olympic courses at Penrith Whitewater Stadium in Sydney, Lee Valley White Water Center in London and Olympic Whitewater Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. Unlike the first German wild water system, which for the Canoe Slalom -Competitions at the 1972 Olympics built Augsburger ice channel , the water from the Lake Markkleeberg via pumps is carried in the water channels.
construction
The whitewater facility was planned as part of Leipzig's application for the 2012 Olympic Games , which were ultimately awarded to London. The city of Markkleeberg decided to build the facility designed by the Düsseldorf architects RKW Rhode Kellermann Wawrowsky in 2001. In 2004, the decision was made to continue building despite the cancellation of the Olympic Games. The groundbreaking ceremony for the plant, which was built in the course of the recultivation of the former lignite landscape in the southern area of Leipzig, took place in April 2005, and trial operation began in September 2006. The keys were handed over to the town of Markkleeberg on November 11, 2006, and the opening took place on April 15, 2007. The federal government funded the construction with around 4.9 million euros. The canoe park is operated by the city of Markkleeberg.
Immediately after its completion, the facility served as a training facility for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing . The Beijing competition course could be recreated with mobile obstacles (movable plastic bollards).
In 2017, an artificial, standing wave was created by expanding the training route. This is used by beginners and professionals as a surf wave.
Technical specifications
The Markkleeberg Canoe Park has two independent whitewater trails with U-shaped routes and a shared target pool. In the southern part is the 270 meter long and 8.40 meter wide competition course. The training route is 130 meters long and 5.70 meters wide in the north. The difference in height between the start and finish pool is 5.20 meters (2.1% gradient) on the competition course and 1.80 meters (1.4% gradient) on the training course. Each of the two routes has its own boat conveyor belt between the finish and start pool.
The system is fed by the water of the Markkleeberger See, with which it is connected. Six electric circulating pumps with a total output of approx. 2060 kilowatts and a total volume flow rate of approx. 28 m³ per second convey the water into the starting basin. The water volume can be varied between 4 m³ / s and 19 m³ / s (competition course) or 13 m³ / s (training course). Depending on the use of the mobile obstacles in the plug-in system, levels of difficulty up to WW III (difficult) or WW IV (very difficult) can be achieved.
White water sports
The facility is a training facility for slalom canoeists. The world champions Jan Benzien and Franz Anton train here regularly.
The Markkleeberg canoe park also serves as a competition facility. In addition to numerous national decisions, the following competitions should be mentioned among the sports competitions:
- 2008: Olympic qualification in canoe slalom
- 2008: World Series German Open
- 2009: European Championship qualification in canoe slalom
- 2010: World Cup qualification in canoe slalom
- 2010: Junior and U-23 European Championships in Canoe Slalom
- 2011: World Cup qualification in canoe slalom
- 2011: ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup
- 2015: European championship in canoe slalom
In addition to competitive athletes, the facility is open to recreational athletes for white water rafting , white water kayaking , hydrospeed and other sports. A cardboard boat race is held annually. In addition, the XXL paddle festival has been taking place every year at the beginning of May since 2013, where thousands of recreational canoeists cavort on both stretches of the canoe park and on the adjacent lakes of the Leipzig New Lakeland.
Canoe Park surf spot
The "Surfspot Canoe Park" has existed since 2017. A standing wave enables bodyboarding and wave surfing for beginners and professionals. For the artificial wave, an obstacle was built into the training channel, through which a surf wave between 50 and 120 cm builds up, depending on the amount of water used. Without previous knowledge, but under the guidance of expert guides, the surfer can practice the safe feeling of standing on the surfboard at the beginning. With the surf spot, an unusual form of sport was created in the region.
particularities
The whitewater offers of the canoe park can be used by the visually impaired, blind, deaf, mute or physically handicapped recreational athletes. The canoe park is barrier-free for spectators: wheelchair users can access the site of the whitewater facility via an access ramp. In 2016, the canoe park was awarded the 2nd Saxon Inclusion Prize in the "Accessibility" category for its commitment to the everyday implementation of the concept of inclusion.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Canoe Park Markkleeberg: Information season 2010. ( Memento of the original from December 24, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (Status: February 25, 2010; PDF file; 51 kB)
- ↑ Jörgen Heller: Olympia 2008. Slalom canoeists want two medals. ( Memento of the original from September 25, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ 368 participants and international class in Markkleeberg at the start. ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
literature
- RKW Rhode Kellermann Wawrowsky Architektur + Städtebau (Annual Review 2007; PDF file; 2.71 MB), RKW, Düsseldorf 2008, pp. 30–33
Web links
- Homepage of Canoe Park Markkleeberg
- Canoe Park Markkleeberg at Kanustrecken.de
- XXL paddle festival in the Markkleeberg canoe park
Coordinates: 51 ° 15 ′ 29.1 ″ N , 12 ° 25 ′ 40.3 ″ E