Kelheim, Germany

 

Interior of Liberation Hall

We can see Liberation Hall from our dock. The athletes hiked up there to see the memorial to the defeat of Napoleon.  The drinkers toured the Kuchlbauer Brewery founded in 1300. There are 598 breweries in Bavaria. The current ownership is in their ninth generation. They specialize in wheat beers using a top fermentation process. We were able to enjoy their beer. But the brewery is not only known for its beer, but also for its artistic tower and buildings designed by Friedensreich Hundertwasser.  

Hundertwasser Tower

That afternoon, we entered the Rhine-Mein-Danube canal. Most of the time, it was hard to tell we were in a canal. We celebrated going through the tallest lock (81 feet) of our voyage in the evening.

81 foot high lock

Rhine-Mein-Danube Canal

King Ludwig completed the first canal in 1846 with 102 locks, up to 50 feet wide and 5 feet deep, for vessels much smaller than today’s riverboats. Railroads were more competitive in 1835 when the canal were finished. It took 11 days to cross with horse versus 2 days using the modern canal. It was deserted in 1950 after the damage from World War II made it too expensive to repair compared to the boat traffic volume.

The current canal was completed in 1992. 105 miles long from Bamburg to Kelheim over the 1332-foot-high European continental divide (separating water that flows to the North Sea or the Black Sea). It took over 70 years of planning and 32 years of construction. The canal handles vessels that are 190 meters long and 11.45 meters wide.

Pedestrian bridge across the canal