Ruhr lock Raffelberg
| Ruhr lock Raffelberg | ||
|---|---|---|
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| location | ||
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| Coordinates | 51 ° 26 '29 " N , 6 ° 49' 38" E | |
| Country: | Germany / NRW | |
| Place: | Mülheim an der Ruhr | |
| Waters: | Ruhr / Ruhr shipping canal | |
| Water kilometers : | km 7.8 | |
| Data | ||
| Responsible WSA : | WSA DU-Meiderich | |
| Start of planning: | 1910 | |
| Construction time: | 1914-1928 | |
| Start of operation: | March 1928 | |
| Renovation: | 1998-1999 | |
| Modification: | 1998-1999 | |
| Listed since: | November 8, 1991 | |
| lock | ||
| Type: | Chamber lock | |
| Category: | Va | |
| Is controlled by: | Meiderich lock | |
| Usable length: | 135.00 m | |
| Usable width: | 12.80 m | |
| Height upstream : | 31.85 m above sea level NHN | |
| Average height of fall : |
6.85 m | |
| Upper gate: | Rotary segment gate | |
| Lower gate: | Sliding gate | |
| Others | ||
| Associated weir: | Ruhrwehr Raffelberg | |
| Associated power plant: | Raffelberg hydropower plant | |
| Website: | Page at the WSA ( Memento from May 27, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) | |
| Was standing: | June 19, 2008 | |
The Ruhrschleuse Raffelberg is a lock on the Ruhrschifffahrtskanal in Mülheim an der Ruhr in the Speldorf district . In the immediate vicinity of the Raffelberg hydropower plant and a good 600 meters from the Rhine-Ruhr port , it is the penultimate lock in the Ruhr . The water from the Ruhr is dammed up at the Raffelberg weir .
The lock
The lock has a working length of 135.00 meters and a working width of 12.80 meters and is designed for inland waterways of class Va for the Great Rhine . The descent structure enables access from the Rhine , the Duisburg-Ruhrorter ports or the Rhine-Herne Canal to the Rhine-Ruhr port and the Friedrich Wilhelms-Hütte . Like the Ruhr lock in Duisburg , the system is remote-controlled from the Meiderich lock . With a weir and hydroelectric power station, it is the second lowest barrage of the Ruhr and with very large amounts of water, the Rhine can rise over the first barrage in Duisburg to Raffelberg.
history
The historical Ruhr shipping begins very early, documented until the year 898. At the end of the 18th century, the Ruhr is made navigable through locks as far as Fröndenberg-Langschede and is at times the most traveled waterway in Europe. However, with the advent of the railroad in the middle of the 19th century, commercial shipping on the Ruhr increasingly lost its importance, and shipping was stopped due to a strong flood in 1890 that caused the river to silt up.
On October 17, 1910, the city of Mülheim decided to build a new port to increase the economy and to create a direct connection to Duisburg port and the Rhine. For this purpose, the Ruhr is getting a new bed between the two ports, as the original Ruhr route is unsuitable for large Rhine ships. The gradient of around ten meters between Mülheim and the Rhine is compensated for by two new locks: the Ruhr locks in Duisburg and Raffelberg.
Since the building site is in the Alstaden colliery field, later subsidence is expected. Therefore, the plan is to build the lock two meters higher to compensate for it as a precaution. Due to the First World War and the shortage of materials, there are planning and construction delays. Finally, after 14 years of construction, the Ruhr lock Raffelberg opened in March 1928.
In the 1990s, significant deficiencies in the technical equipment and the structure of the lock were discovered and a decision was made to renovate the structure. In 1998 and 1999, numerous construction works were carried out. The lock will be extended by eight meters to 135 meters and will be given a new head with a rotating segment gate. Since the lock is under monument protection, the new sliding gate in the lower part of the exterior will be adapted to the old one.
