With a length of just 2.8 kilometres, the Gieselau Canal in Schleswig-Holstein is one of the shortest federal waterways, but it plays an all the more important role: it connects the navigable Eider with the Kiel Canal west of Rendsburg and thus creates a more northerly connection between the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. However, passage will not be possible this winter: the lock in the Gieselau Canal will be closed.
As the responsible waterway and shipping authority for the Kiel Canal stated in the corresponding Notice to mariners the Gieselau lock will be out of operation from 1 November 2025 to 31 March 2026. According to the WSA, the time will be used for maintenance and repair work. Skippers who want to use the winter to cross between the seas will then have to choose the route via the entire stretch of the NOK.
