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 Stemmtorschleuse - Spreewald
N 51° 51.851 E 013° 59.814
33U E 430929 N 5746407
One of the 137 self-operated locks regulating the water level in Spreewald
Waymark Code: WM3BTY
Location: Brandenburg, Germany
Date Posted: 03/10/2008
Views: 32
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In an area where even the fire brigade (left) and the postal service (right) come by boat, a steady, navigable water level is essential. In the wetlands of the Spreewald delta, a clever, more than 100 years old system of locks and dams takes care of that.
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Ten thousand years ago, at the end of the last ice age, retracting glaciers carved hundreds of ditches and rifts into a formaly plane landscape.
These ditches were later filled with water from the Spree river, forming 187 square miles (or 120,000 acres) of wetland in a delta system made of tiny channels that often look manmade but really are a freak of nature.
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During our kayaking trip in Spreewald, we encountered one of these locks:
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 Julia, figuring out how it works |
 Opening the gate
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 Closing the gate |
 Our kayak in the lock
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Unfortunately, we left our camera ashore and only took one of those waterproof one-way cameras with us, resulting in 24 totally underexposed pictures. So, the pictures above are the best evidence we have to offer.
Fortunately, we found a really good website about these kind of locks (unfortunately only in German language). So, here are a couple of better pictures, taken from this site:
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 Arriving at the lock |
 Red dots mark the handles |
 Entering the lock |
 Closing the gate |
 Waiting for even water level |
 Leaving the lock
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Waterway Name: Spree
Connected Points:
A system of locks and dams keeps a constand, navigable water level in the Spreewald delta
Type: Lock
Date Opened: 01/01/1900
Elevation Difference (meters): 1.00
Site Status: Operational
Web Site: [Web Link]
Date Closed (if applicable): Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
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