Weisse Flotte Potsdam

Weisse Flotte Potsdam
legal form	GmbH
founding	January 1, 1959
Seat	Potsdam
Branch	Inland shipping
Website	Weisse Flotte Potsdam

The passenger shipping company Weisse Flotte Potsdam GmbH , also trading under the name of Schifffahrt in Potsdam , is based in the Brandenburg state capital, Potsdam . The company carries out excursion and scheduled trips with its ships in and around the state capital Potsdam and in the area of ​​the UNESCO World Heritage Site Palaces and Gardens of Potsdam and Berlin on both sides of the Glienicke Bridge from the Havel River . However, longer trips and more distant destinations are also offered, such as the trip to the Magdeburg waterway intersection .

The passenger ship Sanssouci

FGS Karo-AS (1945)

history

Advertisement of the Spree-Havel-Dampfschiffahrt-Gesellschaft-Stern for steamboat trips to Scharmützelsee 1908

On August 8, 1888, a shipping company for passenger shipping was officially founded, which was to significantly shape the further development of passenger shipping in Berlin and the Mark Brandenburg. The new company was called Spree-Havel-Dampfschiffahrt-Gesellschaft-Stern . Although this company changed its name several times and there were several successor companies due to the development after the Second World War and as a result of the division of Germany, a black pentagonal star as a chimney mark has remained the symbol of a Berlin shipping company to this day. The founder of the company at that time was the Szczecin merchant Gustav Krokisius. The members of the supervisory board included bankers from Szczecin, Dresden and Potsdam. The new shipping company immediately began to take on shipping companies that had previously handled passenger shipping. The first company was the Potsdamer Dampfschiffahrt Gebhardt with four steamers. Gebhardt became managing director of the new company.

In 1889, the Stralauer Dampfschiffahrtsgesellschaft G. Zwerner with three passenger steamers Dorothea , Hertha and Concordia as well as two tug steamers was bought. Ten shipping company's own ships were delivered by the Szczecin shipyard Möller & Holberg , later known as the Oderwerke. Six ships belonged to the Kaiser class and were given names of emperors and their wives. Four ships were named by princes of the Hohenzollern. May 12, 1889 was the official start of operations for the Spree-Havel-Dampferfahrt-Gesellschaft (SDHG) Stern . A year later, the Berliner Dampfschiffahrtsgesellschaft with a total of fourteen ships was taken over. After a short time, the fleet consisted of 33 ships with a capacity of 7441 passengers. With the skyrocketing number of ships, the route network was expanded at the same time. Between Potsdam and Spandau , the new company briefly faced competition from the Berlin crane company founded by two Englishmen in 1882 . Although this company mainly operated cargo ships, it also sent passenger steamers from Bellevue Palace in Charlottenburg to Potsdam. As a special technical feature, the company operated a chain shipping service on the Havel and Spree between Pichelsdorf near Spandau to Sacrow and briefly on to Deetz on the Lower Havel waterway . There were large brickworks there. In 1906 the company ceased to exist. The shipping company, known for short as the Stern-Gesellschaft , was able to further expand its influence. Further mergers followed.

In 1901 the shipping company carried more than a million passengers. The motto Een Vagniejen of its own kind is never a water trip as the Berliners said, began to come true. By the First World War, the capacities of the Märkische and Berlin passenger shipping companies were expanded. The trips were extended from Spandau via Wannsee to Potsdam and on to Ferch and Werder (Havel). Further new buildings were added to the company. In 1907 it succeeded in taking over the Spandauer Dampfschiffahrtsgesellschaft with fifteen ships and two motor boats. In 1911 more than three million passengers were transported. In the same year, the largest steamers to date, the Leopold von Ranke and the Werner von Siemens , each with 450 passenger seats, were put into service. The new shipping company had developed into the largest company in the industry in Berlin and on the adjacent waters and also dominated passenger and excursion traffic in Potsdam. A round trip around Potsdam, about five hours long, cost one mark back then. The route led from the Long Bridge in Potsdam, through the Glienicke Bridge, past Nedlitz, along the Sacrow-Paretz Canal, past Werder (Havel), over the Schwielowsee, through the Caputher Gemünde over the Templiner See back to Potsdam. The importance of Potsdam for the company reached its organizational climax with the construction of a branch on the Long Bridge and the construction of a shipyard at the mouth of the Nuthem . A repair workshop was also set up.

The number of day trippers who wanted to get to know Potsdam with its sights and its diverse landscape, which has been increasing since the beginning of the 20th century , up to six million people visited the region annually in individual years before the First World War, led to the education of more in Potsdam and its surroundings Steamship companies. In addition to small businesses and family businesses, this also included a shipping company, which, similar to the Stern-Reederei, was to influence the further development of excursion traffic on the Havel waters around Potsdam, the Teltower Kreisschiffahrt . The origins of this shipping company go back to the 1870s. The beginning of the Second World War brought drastic changes . To save fuel, all motorized vehicles had to be shut down. Little by little, the steamers, which were still keeping a small amount of excursion traffic, were taken out of service. In and around Potsdam, numerous ships were lost to bombs and fighting. Five large passenger ships were wrecked in the Griebnitzsee alone . Blasted bridges and countless sunken ships blocked shipping traffic in the Potsdam area. The traffic on the waterways came to a complete standstill.

After the Second World War

As early as autumn 1945, despite the supply problems with fuel and the complicated situation of the waterways, the first regular services on the Potsdam Havel waters were re-established. In addition, so-called “ hamster ships ” drove from Berlin to the Brandenburg area. Since rail transport was often not yet possible, people took advantage of the opportunity to purchase food in the surrounding area by boat. At the end of 1945 three shipping companies were still registered in the Potsdam area, the Stern und Kreisschiffahrt in Klein-Glienicke, the Nobiling shipping company in Potsdamer Weinbergstrasse and the Otto Schmidt shipping company in Glindow . The actual resumption of passenger shipping in Potsdam began immediately in the post-war period. In 1945 some men dared to start over. The motor ship Karo As was launched as the first ship in Potsdam . At that time it belonged to the Otto Schmidt shipping company . As early as 1946, an inland navigation working group was established in the Soviet occupation zone . Further steam and motor ships began operating by 1947. Nevertheless, the Stern und Kreisschiffahrt , like other companies before, was expropriated. The shipping company withdrew to what was then the western sector of Berlin , where it developed into a large passenger shipping company . The years 1948 and 1949 brought radical changes with the currency reform and the establishment of the Federal Republic and the GDR . The Potsdam Havel waters, the traditional sailing area, now belonged to the GDR. The companies came under the pressure of a state-imposed transport and economic policy. The DSU, the German shipping and handling center, emerged from this working group in 1949. It was created as a state-owned administrative body in the course of the expropriation of private shipping companies. At that time the DSU included the independent passenger shipping companies from Berlin, Stralsund and Dresden. In 1952 the Dresden operation was spun off. The Berliner followed in 1957 with the Potsdam branch. Despite all the problems, there were still 102 private passenger ships on the Brandenburg waterways in 1954.

The VEB (K) Verkehrsbetrieb Potsdam had to take over the ships stationed in Potsdam on January 1, 1959 as an independent operation on the instructions of the Ministry of Transport. This day is therefore considered to be the official founding date of the Weisse Flotte company . The existing ships of the former branch of the White Fleet in Berlin, vehicles whose former owner was the then Stern und Kreisschiffahrt , served as the basis. These were the steamer Potsdam (built in 1885), the steamer Berlin (1895), the steamer Friedensbote (1895) and the steamer Professor Rud. Virchow , named after the physician Rudolf Virchow (1909). These aged steamships were supplemented by the not much younger motor ships Concordia (1889), Nedlitz (1910) and Libelle (1930). The shipping company also bought ships to increase the capacity: 1959 the steamer Caputh (formerly Anna II ) (1886), 1962 the Werder , a small motor ship (formerly Havelland ) and in 1965 and the last old building the motor ship Berlin (ex. Emden ) (1917). With the formation of the White Fleet in Potsdam, the older vehicles were repaired and adapted to more modern conditions. The last ship to be converted into a motor ship was the Templin seaside resort (formerly Professor Rud. Virchow ). The time of steam ships in Potsdam was thus over for decades.

List of passenger ships, water taxis and charter boats from 1959 (selection)

prefix	Surname with the White Fleet	Year of construction / place	former or other names	Remarks: scrapped / rebuilt / sold / whereabouts	Picture if available
DS	Caputh	1886/1887 Grabow / Poland	DS Gerhard until 1941, DS Anna II until 1960,	1960 conversion and modernization, 1966 conversion to a motor ship, 1986 under monument protection, 1997 sold, used in Senegal and the Canary Islands, sunk as a diving destination
DS	Messenger of peace	1895		1965 a. D., canceled
DS	Potsdam	1895		1963 a. D., 1969 rebuilt as Strandbad Ferch , see Königswald
MS	Concordia	1895		after 1945 in the western part of Berlin, was converted into a motor ship in 1952, demolished in 1978
MS	Be ready	1886	Hertha	after 1945 in the eastern part of Berlin, 1947 as Be ready , 1964 a. D., 1971 as fur seal , 2002 Hertha again on the Kyritz chain of lakes
DS	Berlin	1895		1965 a. D., canceled
DS	Templin seaside resort	1904 / Szczecin	Professor Rud. Virchow , Nicole B. , pirate , backstock	Built by Stettiner Oderwerke , Bismarck class (1904) , converted to a motor ship in Placke-Werft Aken in 1959/60, renamed to Seebad Templin , from 1993 Nicole B. Company: Arno Harms Personenschifffahrt, in service in 2014 as a pirate in "Passenger Shipping Pirate" in Gelsenkirchen . As of 2016 for sale, in April 2016 in the Duisburg port for renovation. July 2016 transferred to Offenbach am Main , new name Backschaft
MS	Nedlitz	1910	erb. als Möwe / 1926 Altenhof , 1934 Bade V , from November 1948 Nedlitz	sold to private in October 1964. Whereabouts unknown.
MS	Werder	1917	1914/1919  Cöpenick , 1919/1952  Alfred , 1952/57  Havelland  II, from 1957  Werder , from 2018  Saga	1989 sold to yacht charter Ringel Töplitz ( Werder / Havel ), in 2018 further to Reederei Böttcher, Berlin.
MS	Berlin	1917	Be peaceful , Emden	First owner Fritz Habermann from Berlin, in 1939 the shipping company F. Müller bought the ship, renamed Emden , from 1967 with the Weisse Flotte Potsdam, decommissioned in 1971.
MS	Water taxi 1	1920	Vera	Hamburg, renovation 1975, general overhaul 2007/2008 Werft Bolle GmbH, sold to Berlin in 2017
MS	dragon-fly	1930
MS	gull			Leased to Nienburg / Saale in 1989, Rheinsberg Marina Wolfsbruch at the end of the 1990s , in private use since 2015, mooring at Tempelhof harbor
MS	Sanssouci	1962 / Magdeburg	Adler Queen , Classic Queen	Ship of the poet-class , first new building since 1945 for the Weisse Flotte Potsdam, sold 1994 to 1998 Eventschiff in Berlin, 1998 Adler Queen Shipping company S. Paulsen on the Oder , from 2005 Classic Queen (ENI 5609360) Hamburg SPMS GmbH. At the beginning of 2016 as Pivovar , (means brewery ) in Prague as a restaurant ship with a brewery.
MS	Cecilienhof	1963 / Magdeburg	Cecilie	Ship of the poet class , 2011 is no longer in service, 2,012 sold in the direction of Moldova. New name Cecilie , home port Prague.
MS	Potsdam	1965 / Berlin		Built by VEB Yachtwerft Berlin, conversion and extension in 1990, renamed, see Charlottenhof .
MS	Ferch lido	1969	Steamship Potsdam from 1898	from 1963 decommissioned steamer Potsdam , 1969 complete rebuilding, 2003 conversion and modernization, renamed, see Königswald
MS	Berlin	1971	Havelland , luck on the Havel	Built in 1971 at the Genthin shipyard for the Weisse Flotte Potsdam, flagship class using ground segments from the steamer Neptun from 1895 (shipyard: Johannsen & Co, Danzig), sold to Havelberg in 2006, new name Havelland . Since May 2019 in Berlin-Spandau as Havelglück .
MS	Nedlitz	1976 / Berlin	Clare	built yacht yard Berlin, type III, 2003 sold to Prague (Czech Republic), Klara for Aquavia SRO
MS	Kiewitt	1977	Pannonia	Sold in 1996, Pannonia to Zeuthen
MS	Belvedere	1986 / Berlin		Yacht shipyard Berlin-Köpenick, inland passenger ship (BiFa) Type III (extended version), sold to Berlin in 2005 to Wassersport- und Service GmbH Köpenick, further as Belvedere with home port Berlin.
MS	Charlottenhof	1965	Potsdam	Emerged from the Kosmos class motor ship Potsdam from 1965 after being extended, converted and modernized .
MS	Sacrow	1964	Sputnik , Usedom Island , Barth City , Demminer Land , Visurgis , Rubin	Kosmos class, with VEB Kraftverkehr Wittenberg until 1991, 1991/93 Weisse Flotte Potsdam, until 1993 Sacrow , Usedom Island 1993–1998, City of Barth 1998–2000, Demminer Land , 2000–2003, Visurgis , 2003–2007, Rubin from 2007 in Budapest.
MS	Paretz	1964 Berlin	Lunik ,	built in Yachtwerft Berlin (Kosmos class), until 1991 at VEB Kraftverkehr Wittenberg, from 1991 Weisse Flotte Potsdam, for sale from October 8, 2018
MS	Hermannswerder	1969 Genthin		Originally used as the Hermannswerder electric passenger ferry between Hermannswerder Island and Uferstrasse Auf dem Kiewitt in Potsdam, powered by an electric motor, converted in 1997 in DIW Berlin
MS	City of Potsdam	1991 / Berlin		Yacht shipyard Berlin, type IV
MS	Königswald	1889/1969		emerged from Dampfer Potsdam from 1889 and motor ship Strandbad Ferch after reconstruction and modernization in Schiffswerft Bolle GmbH.
MS	Belvedere	2006 / Derben		1. New building after privatization, Schiffswerft Bolle GmbH Derben / Saxony-Anhalt
MS	Sanssouci	2009 / Derben		2nd largest new building for the shipping company, Schiffswerft Bolle GmbH Derben / Saxony-Anhalt , launched on December 15, 2009

Passenger shipping after 1961

Fleet parade on May 5, 1968

On August 13, 1961, the construction of the border fortifications separated the traditional routes on the Havel between Potsdam and Berlin. Initially, the shipping area of ​​Potsdam shipping was around the island of Potsdam. With the construction of the Berlin Wall , this was no longer possible. There was only the possibility of the route down the Potsdam Havel via its lake-like extensions towards Werder an der Havel and Brandenburg an der Havel . New lines had to be worked out. Gradually older ships were decommissioned. In 1962 the motor ship Sanssouci was taken over as the first new building . The following year the Cecilienhof followed , also powered by two diesel engines. They were built in a shipyard in Rothensee near Magdeburg . They each had 654 places, of which 300 were inside. Compared to the veterans, these ships looked like true luxury ships in their design. In 1965 the Potsdam was added as a further new building , built in the Berlin-Köpenick shipyard. Traditionally, the program also included regular services from Potsdam to Caputh , Petzow, Ferch and Werder. In the 1963 season, 1.1 million passengers were carried. In 1969 the motor ship Strandbad Ferch was put into service. It emerged from the disused former steamship Potsdam . The old ship was completely rebuilt and completely changed in its external form. Only two floor slabs remained of the old ship. With this trick, as is typical of the GDR, a lengthy and possibly unsuccessful approval process for a new building was circumvented. This construction was realized in the Genthin shipyard on the Elbe-Havel Canal . The ship was the first in the GDR to be equipped with a so-called Z-drive . Another new building followed in 1971 with the motor ship Berlin , also in the Genthin shipyard. Only six years later there were two more newbuildings: the motor ships Kiewitt and Nedlitz completed the fleet. However, the Kiewitt was seized by the SED state party in Potsdam as a prestigious object and had to be maintained by the White Fleet . In the mid-1970s, all ships were equipped with VHF radio - due to the security doctrine in the area close to the border with West Berlin, this is not a matter of course. In the 1980s, also not taken for granted, some vehicles were fitted with radars . This should enable safe maneuvering in the event of sudden invisible weather, especially in spring and autumn. In 1986 the first Belvedere , see list of ships with the name Belvedere, was put into service as a further new building with around one hundred seats. The ship was created in the Berlin-Köpenick shipyard. With this ship, designed as a downright luxury ship, primarily foreign tourists bringing foreign currency should be brought closer to the Havel landscape. In 1990 two more ships were added to the fleet. The ships Paretz (formerly Sputnik) and Sacrow (formerly Lunik) came from the Elbe to Potsdam. Together they had around six hundred passenger seats. The then Potsdam was lengthened by ten meters and renamed Charlottenhof . On May 1, 1991, the city ​​of Potsdam was the last new building to go into operation. The motor ship Sacrow has since been sold again.

Development after 1989

The waterways around Potsdam

1989 brought decisive changes for the Weisse Flotte as well. Shortly after the prescribed celebrations for the 40th anniversary of the GDR, the system collapsed and a new chapter in its history began for the passenger shipping company in Potsdam. However, some time passed before the first ship from Potsdam was able to dock in Berlin-Wannsee on March 3, 1990 , at that time still West Berlin .

The routes of the traditional sailing areas on the Havel between Potsdam and Berlin could be used again. The first tours included the trip around Potsdam on the Havel and the Sacrow-Paretz Canal and the destinations Glienicker Bridge and Pfaueninsel . Destinations such as Spandau , Tegel , the Niederfinow ship lift and Neuruppin could be reached again. A small sensation was the mooring of a passenger ship from Potsdam after a three-day journey at the Hamburg jetties . With the dissolution of the state- owned enterprises in the area of ​​the former GDR, the question of selling the ships arose for the city council of Potsdam. At that time the ships belonged to the Potsdamer Verkehrsbetriebe, a city operation.

privatization

port

The white fleet was put out to tender in 2000. There were several applicants for the company. These included financial consortia from Hamburg and Munich. Two young entrepreneurs from the region were awarded the contract at the beginning of 2000. They already owned the saloon ship Fridericus Rex and the steamship Gustav . The Haveldampfschiffahrt company remained independent. Together with the Weisse Flotte Potsdam they operate under the umbrella term shipping in Potsdam .

The fleet after 2000

Harbor at the Long Bridge

After the privatization in 2000, a fundamental conversion and modernization of some ships began. Economic constraints and limited opportunities for use led to the sale of the small passenger ship Nedlitz in 2003 . The former luxury ship Belvedere was also sold in 2005. Reasons were, among other things, the small space capacity and the high maintenance costs. After the consolidation in the market, a new building for the White Fleet could be considered for the first time. In 2005, the ships carried more than two hundred thousand passengers a year for the first time since privatization. In autumn 2005 the first new building was laid down in 15 years. The ship was christened Belvedere on May 21, 2006 in Potsdam , and several smaller vehicles were purchased for special customer requests. This especially includes the water taxes.

The traditional names Belvedere and Sanssouci were reserved for new buildings planned at an early stage. The new Sanssouci was then launched on December 15, 2009 in the shipyard Bolle GmbH in Derben in Saxony-Anhalt . With the annual fleet parade on the Havel in Potsdam in mid-April and the simultaneous season opening, the new ship Sanssouci was added to the fleet. Her first official assignment was that of the lead ship of the annual fleet parade on April 18, 2010.

Destinations and routes (selection)

Traditional shipping areas bordering Potsdam in the Berlin area

Round trips and scheduled trips are traditionally offered on the Havel waters around Potsdam with destinations as far as Brandenburg an der Havel and Berlin. But there are also day trips to Berlin, Havelberg and Magdeburg. All ships can also be chartered.

Since 1958, the passenger shipping season has been opened with a fleet parade in mid-April. For many years this fleet parade has been accompanied by a harbor festival in Potsdam on the Long Bridge . During the tree blossom festival in Werder / Havel at the end of April, there is a regular half-hourly schedule between Potsdam and Werder with stops in Caputh and Geltow with several ships .

Big island tour

Even in the pre-season in March, the Big Island Tour is offered on the weekends and from the beginning of May every day until October . The city of Potsdam is circled. The journey goes past the village of Caputh and the fishing and wine village of Werder. In the vicinity of the village of Göttin , the Potsdamer Havel will be left and the Sacrow-Paretz Canal will be navigated in an easterly direction. Upon reaching the Jungfernsee, the historic buildings, mansions and castles of the Hohenzollern on the banks of the Havel are passed. After driving through the Glienicke Bridge and crossing the Tiefen See , the Brandenburg state capital and the port are reached after about four hours.

Day trip through Brandenburg

This full-day boat excursion includes a trip through a small part of the Havellandschaft and through the historic city of Brandenburg, which gave the Mark its name. The river Havel forms many lakes and countless branches and oxbow lakes between Potsdam and the city of Brandenburg. The journey takes you along the Potsdam Havel , past Caputh with its historic cable ferry , across the Schwielowsee and through the Baumgarten Bridge between Petzow and Geltow . In the morning you will pass Werder an der Havel and drive on the almost untouched river section between the village of Phöben and the fishing town of Ketzin . A second cable ferry, the Ketzin ferry, is crossed between Ketzin and Schmergow. For guests who want to take a short stroll through the city and a guided tour of the Brandenburg Cathedral , the ship docks in Brandenburg . You will be taken back on board the ship about an hour and a half later on the return journey. Around noon the suburban lock Brandenburg is passed and a detour is made across the Beetzsee , which was made famous by a mocking song for Fritze Bollmann . The course continues along the Silo Canal to Quenzsee and Plauer See . At the Plauer Gemünd the mouth of the Brandenburg Niederhavel is reached and this old river section to Berg, which is no longer used by cargo shipping, is crossed against the direction of flow and another cable ferry, the Neuendorf ferry, is crossed. Through an old town part of Brandenburg, past the Salzhofufer and through the Millennium Bridge , the journey goes over the Kleiner Beetzsee back to the lock and after passing the lock again, back towards the port of Potsdam.

Caputh Castle

Havelsee tour

Another route is the Havelsee round trip from Potsdam downriver to the fruit chamber of the Mark Brandenburg. This round trip connects Caputh , Petzow , Ferch and Werder on the river with each other and offers the opportunity to leave the ship en route to go on excursions in the area. Bicycles can also be transported.

Castle tour

The castle tour is dedicated several times a day from March to October in a special way to the parks and castles of the Hohenzollern on the Havel. In ninety minutes, the tour takes you past the main waterfront attractions and buildings created by famous builders in a landscape that is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site . This tour is also offered on the Gustav steamer .

Wannsee tour

The two-hour Wannsee tour leads from the port of Potsdam past the Babelsberg Park into the Teltow Canal with the Griebnitzsee . The Griebnitzsee is lined with numerous villas belonging to the former UFA stars and other architectural evidence. The journey takes you past the villas on the lake where American President Truman and British Prime Minister Churchill resided during the Potsdam Conference in 1945 . From Griebnitzsee it goes into the Prinz-Friedrich-Leopold-Kanal . Short pieces of canal connect this lake with the Stölpchensee , the Pohlesee and the Kleiner Wannsee . After driving through the last bridge over which the Königsstraße in Berlin leads, you will cross the Großer Wannsee with its famous lido. Past the Schwanenwerder island and the Pfaueninsel , the journey goes over the Jungfernsee through the Glienicke Bridge , known as the agent's bridge, back to the port of Potsdam.

The Bode Museum on Museum Island

Day trip through downtown Berlin

From Potsdam the route leads over a short section of the Potsdam Havel into the Teltow Canal to the Kleinmachnow lock . After passing the lock it goes along between Teltow and Kleinmachnow . Past the Teltow shipyard , the ship drives east on the edge of Berlin to Britz in order to reach the Britzer connecting canal, which leads directly to the Spree in Berlin-Treptow . When driving down the Spree to the valley, in the direction of flow, you continue through the Mühlendamm lock , past the Nikolaiviertel , the television tower , the Red City Hall , the Museum Island , the Reichstag , the Federal Chancellery , the Swiss Embassy , Bellevue Palace and many other sights Lock Charlottenburg and to Spandau where the Spree flows into the Havel . On the Havel the journey goes back to Potsdam. During this approximately eight-hour tour, more than a hundred bridges are passed. On selected dates, an extended tour over the Dahme River and the Gosener Canal leads past New Venice over the Müggelsee back to the Spree with a course through the center of Berlin.

Niederfinow boat lift

The Belvedere passenger ship in the trough of the Niederfinow ship lift.

Old (left) and new ship lift in the model

Full day trip to the Niederfinow boat lift

The trip to one of the largest ship lifts in Europe, the Niederfinow ship lift, has been included in the day trip program. From Potsdam it goes up the Havel past the Pfaueninsel and the Großer Wannsee. After two hours' journey the ship reached the sluice Spandau in Berlin's Spandau district . Passing the Spandau Citadel and Eiswerder Island , the journey on the Havel towards Hennigsdorf in the Oberhavel district . After passing the Lehnitz lock , the ship reaches the Oder-Havel Canal . This lies in large parts above the level of the surrounding area. In the trough of the Niederfinow ship lift, the ship overcomes the 36 meter difference in altitude between the apex position of the Oder-Havel Canal and the lower Oder position. The construction site for the new Niederfinow Nord boat lift is located north of the lift . After leaving the elevator, the course goes past Liepe and across the Oderberger See the ship reaches its pier in Oderberg . On the following day the boat trip leads in the opposite direction from Hohensaaten through the boat lift back to Potsdam.

Trough bridge of the waterway cross

Full day trip to the Magdeburg waterway intersection

The trip to the Magdeburg waterway intersection takes place on selected dates and begins in Potsdam. It is a combined boat and bus tour. The route leads from the Potsdamer Havel over the Untere Havel waterway past Ketzin to Brandenburg an der Havel . After passing the suburban lock Brandenburg and the Plauer See , the ship reaches the Elbe-Havel Canal and the Wusterwitz lock . Remnants of the former artificial waterways Plauer Canal and Ihle Canal become visible shortly before Genthin and during the passage of the canal to the Zerben lock . In the Hohenwarthe lock , the ship is raised more than 18 meters to the apex position of the Mittelland Canal . Then the approximately one kilometer long canal bridge over the river Elbe is driven. In the Rothensee spar lock west of the Elbe, the Mittelland Canal is left again and channeled down into the Rothensee connecting canal. Past the Magdeburg inland ports and the construction site of the low water lock Magdeburg , the course goes to the Elbe and this in a northerly direction to the valley to cross under the canal bridge on the river. The Elbe-Havel Canal is reached again with the Niegripp lock . The journey ends in Burg . From there, the guests are transferred back to Potsdam by bus. The following day, the boat trip leads in the opposite direction from Burg over the waterway cross back to Potsdam.

The main lock at Rathenow

Full day trip across the Lower Havel

This day trip leads on the different river sections from Potsdam to Havelberg . In the early morning the ship leaves the port in Potsdam at the Long Bridge to cover the first 25 kilometers on the Potsdamer Havel to the Göttinsee. The journey continues on the section of the Lower Havel waterway between the town of Ketzin and the Brandenburg lock. The lock is passed around 11 a.m. From the underwater of the Brandenburg lock, the ship takes a course over port into the Brandenburg Niederhavel, this old section of the river, which is no longer used by cargo shipping, in order to pass the oldest parts of the city of Brandenburg, also past the St. Peter and Paul Cathedral . After leaving the Plauer Gemündes, the Plauer See is crossed in the direction of Plaue and the journey continues to the valley on the Havel past Pritzerbe to the next lock, the Bahnitz lock in Milower Land . Passing Premnitz , the city is located in the Natural Park Westhavelland and partially untouched nature reaches the ship to 14:00 the city Rathenow and the local main lock Rathenow . Other locks in the direction of Havelberg, so-called tow locks, are the Grütz lock near the Rathenow district of Grütz and the Garz lock at the Havelberg district of Garz . The journey goes for many kilometers through the Westhavelland Nature Park. The ship arrives at the berth in the old winter harbor in Havelberg in the early evening. From there, the guests are transferred back to Potsdam by bus. The following day, the boat trip leads in the opposite direction from Havelberg the river sections back to Potsdam.

Fleet (current)

Ship name	ENI number	Construction year	Shipyard / location	Length / breadth / draft	Main propulsion power	Passengers max.	image	comment
Sanssouci	04808290	2009/2010	Werft Bolle GmbH, Derben	72.11 m / 8.96 m / 1.20 m	2 × 248 kW / 2 × 337 PS	600 (334 in saloon)		Jet propulsion as active bow rudder; wheelchair accessible
Belvedere	04805340	2005/2006	Werft Bolle GmbH, Derben	40.96 m / 6.50 m / 1.25 m	248 kW / 337 PS	250 (160 in the salon)		electric bow thruster
Königswald	05609380	1889/1969		40.55 m / 6.11 m		250 (110 inside)		electric bow thruster
Charlottenhof	05609390	1965, 1990 remodeling and modernization	Berlin yacht yard	45.73 m / 6.16 m / 1.41 m	2 × 102 kW / 2 × 140 PS	300 (178 in the salon)		Panoramic ship; Ship collision in 2012 without major damage, fire in the engine room in September 2018
City of Potsdam	05602550	1991	Berlin yacht yard	32.18 m / 5.10 m / 0.90 m	96 kW / 130 PS	160 (94 in the salon)		approved as a registry office 2017 Engine technology modernized and retrofitted with bow thruster
Fridericus Rex	05700680	1927	Winkler brothers, Kalkberge near Rüdersdorf	29.97 m / 4.68 m / 1.09 m	96 kW / 130 PS	75		historic saloon ship with steamer optics, restored in 2000
Gustav	04800060	1908	Gebr. Wiemann	32.60 m / 6.10 m / 1.50 m	184 kW / 250 PS	55 (covered)		Coal-fired triple expansion steam engine
Water taxi 2	04806530	2008	Werft Bolle GmbH, Derben	26.72 m / 5.10 m / 1.00 m	148 kW / 201 PS	120		Bicycle transport
Water taxi 3	04811000	2013	Werft Bolle GmbH, Derben	31.11 m / 5.10 m / 0.90 m	166 kW / 226 PS	120		Bicycle transport
Schwielowsee	04813260	2018/2019	Werft Bolle GmbH, Derben	41.00 m / 6.50 m / 1.00 m	2 × 120 kW / 2 × 163 PS (electric)	250		Drive by two electric motors, power from batteries , two diesel generators, wheelchair-accessible and bicycle transport

Potsdam water taxi

The Havel flows through the Brandenburg state capital over a length of about ten kilometers . Between Sacrow and the Waldbad am Templiner See there are numerous interesting mooring points that are relevant for tourists and locals alike. In order to create a connection between the hotels, Potsdam Central Station and the city center, the idea was born to set up a taxi or bus-like operation with small but comfortable ships. The following thirteen stations are scheduled for the water taxis from Potsdam Hauptbahnhof-Havelhof :

from Potsdam main station, Havelhof (station side) and back: Neustädter Havelbucht, Sanssouci arcona Hotel on the banks of the Havel Potsdam Inselhotel Potsdam - Hermannswerder Congress hotel on Lake Templin Seminaris See-Hotel, Camping Park Sanssouci, Geisberg Forsthaus Templin , Waldbad Templin

from Potsdam main station, Havelhof (station side) and back Schiffbauergasse, Hans Otto Theater Babelsberg Palace and Park Glienicke Bridge on the Potsdam bank Dairy in the New Garden with access to Cecilienhof Palace and also as a ferry between Volkspark Glienicke , Krughorn and the Sacrower Heilandskirche

environmental Protection

With the growing volume of traffic on the waterways around Potsdam and Berlin, the traditional shipping area of ​​the Weisse Flotte Potsdam, the company will use the synthetic, paraffinic fuel Shell GTL Fuel Marine on all ships at the start of the 2019 season . The company's own gas station, which is also available to the sport boats to supply fuel and fresh water, will only offer synthetic fuel. The shipping company wants to contribute to the reduction of the possible local pollution of the environment and to air improvement.

Spelling of the name

The spelling of the proper name is unusual. It was created by taking over the usual name spelling `` WEISSE FLOTTE '' in capital letters, in which the capital ß was omitted. As a result, it has also become common in the lower case Weisse Flotte .

literature

• Hans-Joachim Rook (ed.): Sailors and steamers on the Havel and Spree . Brandenburgisches Verlagshaus, Berlin 1993, ISBN 3-89488-032-5 .
• various authors: Yearbook of Shipping . Div. Vintages. Transpress VEB publishing house for transport, Berlin. OCLC 1783123
• Dieter Schubert: German inland passenger ships. Illustrated register of ships . Uwe-Welz-Verlag, Berlin 2000, ISBN 3-933177-10-3 .
• Kurt Groggert: Passenger shipping on the Havel and Spree . ( Berlin contributions to the history of technology and industrial culture , vol. 10). Nicolaische Verlagsbuchhandlung, Berlin 1988, ISBN 3-87584-253-7 .

Web links

Commons : Weisse Flotte Potsdam  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files

• Weisse Flotte Potsdam
• Interest group ship history Berlin. GDR inland shipping . (Private website with information about some ships)

References and footnotes

1. ^ German shipping and handling center
2. ^ GDR inland waterway vessels White Fleet
3. ↑ Website of the ship accessed on December 24, 2019
4. ↑ Ringel Marina
5. ^ [1] Böttcher shipping company
6. ↑ Marina Wolfsbruch - Hotel & Vacation Homes Mecklenburg Lake District
7. ↑ Brewery ship
8. ↑ picture on facebook.com
9. ↑ Sale of ships. Retrieved April 22, 2018 . 
10. ^ Report on the launch in the PNN
11. ^ Report on the sale in the Berliner Zeitung
12. ↑ Berliner Zeitung on December 3, 1999
13. ↑ On May 5, 2012 collision near Caputh with Havelperle (former charter ship of the restaurant Anglerklause, Wildpark-West ), in which no persons were injured; only paint was scraped off at Charlottenhof . No injuries when two steamers collide . In: Berliner Zeitung of May 7, 2012, p. 24
14. ↑ Fire on the passenger ship of the White Fleet. Retrieved December 19, 2018 . 
15. ↑ Steer easier, drive more quietly . In: Potsdam's latest news . April 21, 2018 ( pnn.de [accessed April 22, 2018]).
16. ↑ An excursion steamer with an electric motor: Only available in Potsdam. Retrieved September 27, 2018 (German).