Kanaltunnel Weilburg

Weilburg Ship Tunnel

Useful Information

the tunnel entrance at the northern side.

Location:	Weilburg city center. Entrance at Ahäuser Weg. Exit at Weilstraße.
Open:	no restrictions. [2009]
Fee:	free [2006]
Classification:	Tunnel
Light:	none
Dimension:	L=195.26 m, W=5.6 m, H=6.3 m, water depth 1.75 m.
Guided tours:
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address:	Tourist-Information Weilburg, Tel. +49-6471-31467. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1844 to 1847	tunnel built.
1862	railroad Koblenz-Gießen built.

Description

a lock for the height difference created by the downward slope of the river around the mountain.

The Kanaltunnel Weilburg (Weilburg Ship Tunnel) was created to make the small Lahn river navigable. Right at the city of Weilburg, the oxbow of the Lahn has sand banks and rocks, which makes it dangerous even for small boats. The tunnel crosses the rock on which Weilburg was built, and thus avoids this dangerous part. It is the only tunnel for an canal and ships ever built in Germany.

The tunnel was built for commercial freight boats. But after only one decade it became obsolete by the construction of the railroad. Nevertheless it is still functional and in use. Everybody may use it for free, but has to operate the lock, which was built to escalate the height difference in the water level of 4.65 m between both ends of the tunnel. This is the downgrade of the river on the long way around the meander spur, the canal is not flowing and thus horizontal. There are operators who offer canoe trips on the Lahn, including the crossing of the tunnel.

Kanaltunnel Weilburg Gallery