LWL-Museum ship lift Henrichenburg

It is the largest building on the Dortmund-Ems Canal: the Henrichenburg ship lift fits seamlessly into the ranks of extraordinary museums in the Ruhr Metropolis. When it opened in 1899, people were enthusiastic. And even today, almost half a century after it was shut down, the facility has lost none of its fascination.

The rapidly advancing industrialization of the Ruhr area made new and larger transport routes necessary, especially for heavy goods such as ore and steel. The Ruhr was no longer able to cope with the ever-growing iron barges. Kaiser Wilhelm II himself opened the Dortmund-Ems Canal in 1899 after seven years of construction and at the same time the Henrichenburg ship lift, which was built in five years - the world's first ship lift for large inland waterway vessels. With a lifting capacity of 14 meters, the multi-swimmer hoist was a technical sensation in its day. In fact, the 17 steps of the Dortmund-Ems Canal and around 70 vertical meters to be overcome from the Ruhr area to the North Sea were an enormous challenge for the engineers.

From then on, large quantities of iron ore came to the eastern Ruhr area via the canal; the steel produced here went back the same way - and mostly directly to the imperial rearmament and naval building programs. With the expansion of the West German canal network, the construction of modern locks and last but not least with the new ship hoist opened in 1962, the operation of the old hoist became redundant in 1970. Citizens prevented the demolition; In 1979 the Regional Association of Westphalia-Lippe (LWL) took over the plant, only to reopen it in 1992 as the site of the LWL Industrial Museum.

Since then, the ship's hoist has offered a comprehensive overview of the history of inland navigation as a LWL industrial museum. An exhibition on the barge "Franz Christian" provides insights into life and work on board. Descriptive models also make it easy for children to understand how the hoist works. A water playground provides fun and exercise.