Lock Baldeney

Those traveling by boat from Baldeneysee further downstream on the Ruhr River past the Essen district Werden continue towards Kettwig Anyone wishing to travel upstream on the Ruhr River towards lock Baldeneysee must pass through lock Baldeney – colloquially also known as the weir Werdener. Lock operating hours, a map, prices, and a service phone number – Baldeneysee.Ruhr has compiled all the information needed to navigate lock Baldeney. Rowers and canoeists can also pass through lock Baldeney. Unlike motorized boats, which enter the lock by boat, canoes and rowboats pass through lock Baldeney by being carried through. The on-site jetty at lock Baldeney/weir Werdener allows for convenient entry and exit, as well as launching and retrieving boats.

The Baldeney lock, located between the Essen districts Werden and Bredeney Located, but belonging postally to Bredeney (postcode 45133), it forms a dam with a hydroelectric power plant and Fish lift the conclusion of the Baldeneysee. The dam, also known as a weir, has three openings closed by hydraulic rollers. According to its website, Ruhrverband, a public corporation based in Essen, is "a public-law water management company without profit motives" and also the operator of the dam. It states that it ensures the water supply for 4.6 million people through the operation of its dams.

The construction of the dam is naturally linked to the creation of the Baldeneysee lock, as the structure impounds the Ruhr River for a length of approximately eight kilometers, transforming the river into a lake. Planning began as early as 1927, construction took place in 1931 and 1932, and the weir was commissioned in 1933. While it was primarily commercial shipping that used the Baldeney lock in the past, it is now used exclusively by passenger ships of the White Fleet Baldeney, private pleasure craft, and commercial vessels up to 38 meters in length and 5.20 meters in width.

An elevator for fish? What sounds unusual at first actually makes ecological sense. Since the Dam As the weir represents an artificial barrier to the river ecosystem, the fish lift system aims to provide migratory fish with the opportunity to overcome this obstacle. Since 2020, and in accordance with European directives on the "continuity of flowing waters," the fish lift at weir Baldeney has been in operation. With financial support from the Ministry for the Environment, Agriculture, Nature Conservation and Consumer Protection of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, the Ruhrverband (weir operator) has established an "Information Point Fish Lift System Baldeneysee," an exhibition that explains the background and operation of the fish lift to interested members of the public. The exhibition is scheduled to be open on weekends from April 1st to September 30th. For exact opening times, please contact the Ruhrverband. Groups are requested to register in advance by telephone with the Ruhrverband. As the entrance to the exhibition is located on the weir, it is not wheelchair accessible.