Minden shaft lock

Upper gate of the Minden shaft lock

location

Coordinates

52 ° 18 '24 " N , 8 ° 55' 11" E Coordinates: 52 ° 18 '24 " N , 8 ° 55' 11" E

Country:

Germany / North Rhine-Westphalia

Place:

Minden / Westf.

Waters:

Weser / Mittelland Canal

Data

Owner:

Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration

Responsible WSA :

WSA Minden

Construction time:

1911-1914

Listed since:

1987

lock

Type:

Shaft lock
with 16 saving basins on four levels

Is controlled by:

Remote control center Minden

Usable length:

85 m

Usable width:

10.0 m

Average
height of fall :

13.3 mm

Upper gate:

Folding gate

Lower gate:

Lift gate

Others

Was standing:

March 2020

f1

The Minden shaft lock was built from 1911 to 1914 as part of the construction of the Mittelland Canal at the Minden waterway intersection as a north descent to the Weser , thus creating the shortest connection between the Mittelland Canal and the Weser. It has a usable chamber length of 85 meters and is 10 meters wide. Due to the laterally arranged saving basins with a filling capacity of 7300 m³ (only 4000 m³ are drained into the Weser) integrated into the construction, it saves water in contrast to the southern descent via upper and lower sluices and was therefore state of the art at the time of construction .

The building is considered a technical attraction in Minden .

history

The Minden shaft lock was completely renovated from 1988 to 1989. From February 1993 to April 1993 the technical installations were renewed, they were not sufficiently resistant to the salty Weser water.

As part of the expansion of the Mittelweser and Mittelland Canal to include the new size class of large motorized cargo ships , it has been supplemented by the Weserschleuse Minden since 2017 .

Course of a smuggling

The Minden shaft lock has a total of 6 towers that give it a striking appearance. At the bottom of the lock there are two large towers, in which the counterweights for the 63-ton lifting gate are attached. The four smaller towers are so-called valve towers, they control the four savings chambers below them. The shaft lock has a total of 16 savings chambers, of which the four on the respective level are always opened at the same time. There are yellow indicators on each valve tower that show the current status of the chambers. If a chamber is open, the respective yellow marking is raised. The shaft lock has a folding gate on the head.

In the case of a lock to Berg (i.e. from the Weser into the Mittelland Canal), after the lower gate and the valves are closed, the bottom four chambers are emptied first, then the chambers in the order above. As soon as all chambers are emptied, approx. 60% of the height difference is compensated (actual height varies according to the water level of the Weser). Then the valves to the sewer are opened (depending on the lock in two or three stages, so that the flow in the chamber does not become too high), the remaining water is drawn from the sewer. As soon as the difference in height has been compensated, the folding gate can be opened.

When sluicing down to the valley (i.e. from the Mittelland Canal into the Weser), after the flap gate and the valves are closed, the four uppermost chambers are filled first, then the other twelve chambers from top to bottom. As soon as this is done, the valves to the Weser are opened to allow the remaining water to escape into the Weser, this also happens in two or three stages. The lift gate can then be opened.

The lock chamber of the shaft lock has several staggered inflow channels in order to keep the currents that arise during the lock as controllable as possible.

Technical history

The shaft lock next to the canal bridge and the main pumping station has been a listed building since 1987. The three buildings are entered in the list of monuments of the city of Minden .

gallery

Status display of the savings chambers, the bottom one is open here.
Entry of a ship into the lock, seen from the lock chamber.
Entry of a ship as seen from the bottom of the lock.
Panorama over the area of the shaft lock, seen from the Weser lock.
View of the emptied chamber of the shaft lock
View of the open upper gate of the lock
The yellow bar made of wood and steel serves to protect against collision with the lower gate and adapts to the water level.
Play media file

Drainage of water into the Weser and opening of the lift gate.