Travel Guide "Remembrance Connects Region Oder-Warta"

37 A h i stor i ca l ly common cultura l area A h i stor i ca l ly common cultura l area The first navigable connection between the Oder and Havel rivers was built between 1605 and 1620 on the orders of the Elector Joachim Friedrich. However, a lack of money and the Thirty Years‘ War prevented further development of the waterway, and the project was abandoned. It took a decree from Frederick II to begin extending the canal again between 1743 and 1746 . Construction of another waterway between the Oder and Havel rivers became necessary due to the canals around the growing industrial region of Finow, and because of the increa- sed goods traffic between Berlin and Stettin having reached the limits of their capacity. This waterway went into operation in 1914 as the Hohen- zollern Canal. First equipped with a chain of locks, the construction of a ship hoist facility became indispensable. After seven years of construction, the hoist facility was opened in 1934 , ensuring the smooth transport of goods between Berlin and Szczecin. Since 2006 , the construction of ano- ther ship hoist facility has been under- way, which is scheduled to start ope- rations in 2025 at the latest. A modern visitor centre provides information regarding the history of this economi- cally important waterway, with its locks and two hoist facilities. The historic ship hoist facility has been a popular destination for excursions for decades. Niederfinow Ship Hoist Facility Both the historic and the newly built Niederfinow ship hoist facility represent constructions at the cutting edge of their time Address: Hebewerkstraße 70 A 16248 Niederfinow, Deutschland www.schiffshebewerk-niederfinow.info Open: April-December GPS : 52 ° 50 ’ 53 . 8 ”N 13 ° 56 ’ 27 . 6 ”E Niederfinow Ship Hoist Facility i A branch of the Oder River (the Wriezen Old Oder) was included in the course of the first ( 1605 – 1620 ) and second Finow Canal ( 1747 – 1753 ) and later the Oder-Havel Canal, which was inaugu- rated in 1914 . This waterway in its is considered to be the oldest still-navi- gable artificial waterway in Germany. Both waterways gave rise to an enor- mous economic boom in the region. This waterway connection, known as the „Großschifffahrtsweg Berlin-Stet- tin“, was officially inaugurated by Kaiser Wilhelm II on 17 June 1914 and renamed the Hohenzollern Canal. The old ship hoist facility in Nieder- finow increased the efficiency of the waterway as a replacement for a chain of locks. The commissioning of the new ship hoist facility in 2022 illustrates the contemporary importance of the canal for inland navigation. In addition to regional history, the Binnenschifffahrts-Museum Oderberg Oderberg Inland Navigation Museum Discover the history of inland navigation in this museum focused on Germany‘s oldest navigable artificial waterway (Oderberg Inland Navigation Museum), a museum unique to the state of Brandenburg, documents the history of inland navigation on the Oder River, waterway construction, and the for- mative role of timber rafting for the region. Bärenkasten Fortress in Oderberg Originally located on an island on the Oder River in front of the present-day town of Oderberg, the Oderberg Fortress played an important role in the Middle Ages. It served to protect the city, the Oder River, and to secure customs revenues. Today, remains of the fortress walls still remind us of its existence. Address: Hermann-Seidel-Straße 44 16248 Oderberg, Deutschland www.bs-museum-oderberg.de Open: January-December GPS : 52 ° 50 ‘ 53 . 8 “N 13 ° 56 ‘ 27 . 6 “E Oderberg Inland Navigation Museum i 36