Pier
A pier or landing stage is a structure on wooden, steel or concrete piles that was built from the shore into the sea ("the sea"), into an inland lake or into a large river. In contrast to a pier or a mole , a pier is not a heaped structure.
A port is not available everywhere . Since waters often run out shallowly towards the shore, ships with a greater draft can no longer reach them. They anchor accordingly far from the bank and are loaded and unloaded with the help of shuttle boats. This cumbersome procedure can be avoided by building a pier.
Some piers extend several hundred meters into the sea. They are not bridges in the strict sense of the word, as they end in the water, but they bridge the distance from the land to the point where ships can moor. They used to be made of wood or iron , today steel or reinforced concrete is mostly used .
In addition to their function as a landing stage, which has now mostly receded into the background, they are now used for promenades by guests on the North and Baltic Seas , as locations for restaurants , snack bars and hotels . In particular, the large piers in the seaside resorts of England and the Netherlands are called pier in the national language . They serve the guests as amusement places (English pleasure pier ). Their creation is based on the fact that guests who wanted to see the sea on a flat coast wanted to offer this possibility at any time (even at low tide ).
In Heringsdorf on the Baltic Sea island of Usedom is the longest pier in Germany at 508 m .
See also
- Landing stage (corresponds to a small pier)
- List of piers
- List of piers in Germany
- List of piers in the United Kingdom
- Quay
