Almost 60 years after the first flooding, the Lusatian Lake District is now navigable almost throughout. This makes the area the largest man-made lake district in Europe. With the addition of three further connecting canals, a 50-kilometre-long, continuous route is being created, although sailors must take care to observe the fixed bridge clearances and tunnel passages.
Three new navigation channels
Until now, only the Koschener and Barbara Canals had been navigable in the Lusatian Lake District. On Monday, the Sornoer, Rosendorfer and Ilse Canals also opened. These new waterways now connect the central Lake Sedlitz with the neighbouring bodies of water. As a result, the previously isolated areas have been brought together to form a region ideal for day trips and weekend cruises: “This marks the emergence of Europe’s largest man-made water landscape,” says Kathrin Winkler, managing director of the Lausitz Lake District Tourism Association.
Infrastructure and History
The new waterways consist of canals, locks, bridges and tunnels. From the central Lake Sedlitz, the Sorno Canal leads to Lake Geierswalde. The Rosendorf Canal connects to Lake Partwitz, whilst the Ilse Canal runs to Lake Großräschen. The 186-metre-long Ilse Canal Tunnel forms a narrow bottleneck. In addition, the older Koschen Canal passes under a main road and the Schwarze Elster via two tunnels. You can find more details about the area here.
The Project The area around the Lusatian Lake District looks back on a long history. Exactly 100 years ago, the first dredging operations began at the ‘Ilse-Ost’ opencast mine, now known as Lake Sedlitz. Since the 1990s, around 941 million euros have been channelled by the federal and state governments into the rehabilitation and renaturation of the region. In the run-up to coal mining, just under 3.8 billion cubic metres of earth were moved. Today, the five lakes together hold a total volume of 640 million cubic metres of water. However, the steeply sloping banks of the old opencast mines made driving in the jetty piles a laborious and costly process, which meant that the Approval delayed.
Restricted areas and wind conditions
With an area of 1,400 hectares, Lake Sedlitz is the largest body of water in the new network. Due to the vast, open areas, strong winds can occur here and on the neighbouring lakes. Skippers should plan their trips with plenty of time to spare, as waiting times may arise at the narrow passages. Anchoring is permitted outside marked protected areas, but is prohibited in the connecting canals. Boats must not enter buoy-marked restricted areas or nature reserves in the Lusatian Lake District. Waterway users are also prohibited from landing on these shores.
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David Ingelfinger
Volontär
