05/06/2026
The small river cruise ship SANS SOUCI having just cleared the Niederfinow Boat Lift, en route from Berlin towards Stettin.
The new Niederfinow Boat Lift in Brandenburg is one of the most modern boat lifts in Europe. It was constructed as the successor to the historic lift of 1934 and was officially put into operation on October 4, 2022. The structure overcomes a height difference of 36 meters between the two sections of the Oder-Havel Canal.
With a total height of around 55 meters and a length of approximately 133 meters, it ranks among the largest ship lifts in Europe. The ship trough is 115 meters long, 12.5 meters wide, and 4 meters deep. When filled with water, the trough weighs between approximately 9,800 and 9,943 tons and is counterbalanced by 220 weights. Eight electric motors with a combined output of 1,280 kW move the trough. The actual lifting operation takes only about three minutes, while a complete passage takes around 16.5 minutes.
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