Elster-Saale Canal

The Elster-Saale Canal (German: Elster-Saale-Kanal), renamed in 1999 by the Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration to Saale-Leipzig Canal (German: Saale-Leipzig-Kanal) or SLK[1] and on the Halle side also called Saale-Elster Canal, was a canal project started in 1933 and aborted in 1943. It was intended to link the White Elster river with the Saale near Leuna and thus enable the city of Leipzig to be joined to Germany's inland waterway network. The 11 kilometre long water-filled channel is one of the "special federal waterways".[1]

Start of the Elster-Saale Canal at Lindenau Harbour

A lock was built near Wusteneutzch which would have allowed canal freight traffic to connect with the Saale; however the canal never reached this point. This link would have given Leipzig access to the Elbe via the Saale and thus to Hamburg and the North Sea. The canal was planned for ships up to 1,000 tonnes in weight (roughly Class IV).

Plans to complete the canal have been revived and an Elster-Saale Canal Society has been formed.

  • Start of the canal in Leipzig
    Start of the canal in Leipzig
  • Railway bridge near Rückmarsdorf
    Railway bridge near Rückmarsdorf
  • B 181 bridge near Rückmarsdorf
    B 181 bridge near Rückmarsdorf
  • Even in GDR times the canal was used for rowing
    Even in GDR times the canal was used for rowing
  • Safety gate East near Burghausen
    Safety gate East near Burghausen
  • Underpass for the Zschampert below the Elster-Saale Canal
    Underpass for the Zschampert below the Elster-Saale Canal
  • Relief work for water level regulation
    Relief work for water level regulation
  • The canal near Dölzig
    The canal near Dölzig
  • Bridge near Günthersdorf. Background: the A 9 motorway bridge
    Bridge near Günthersdorf. Background: the A 9 motorway bridge
  • End of the canal near Günthersdorf
    End of the canal near Günthersdorf

See also

Literature
  • Wolfram Sturm, Leipzig und seine Schiffskanäle. Leipzig, 1998.
  • Dirk Becker (2009), Der Südflügel des Mittellandkanals: Per Schiff von Magdeburg über Merseburg nach Leipzig (in German) (1. ed.), Halle: Projekte-Verlag, ISBN 3866346093
  • Denis Achtner (2008), "Der Elster-Saale-Kanal" (pdf excerpt), Böhlitzer Hefte (in German) (2. ed.), Leipzig: Creativ Werbeagentur Kolb, vol. Band 2

References
  1. Verzeichnis F der Chronik Archived 2016-07-22 at the Wayback Machine, Wasser- und Schifffahrtsverwaltung des Bundes
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51°21′21″N 12°13′55″E

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