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Focus on boat lifts
Focus on boat lifts!
Have you ever heard of boat lifts?
Today, we take you on a journey of discovery of these architectural structures that can be found along some canals and rivers in France, Europe and the world!
What are boat lifts used for?
Real technological feats, these mechanical devices allow ships to overcome significant differences in water levels, thus replacing many locks. These structures are also much faster and require less water consumption than a lock.
The different boat lifts
Several technological systems exist and there are four different types of lifts:
Vertical boat lifts
through which the boat is moved up or down. You can find them on our cruises along the Oder in Niederfinow in Germany or along the Elbe in Scharnebeck.
Inclined planes
which move the boat diagonally along a slope. You can experience it during our cruise from the Marne to the Rhine Canal on board our Madeleine barge.
Rotating boat lifts
where the boat is moved up or down by pivoting around a metal axis. One of the most impressive in Europe is the Falkirk Wheel in Scotland.
Caisson lifts
where the volume of water will lower or raise the boat, similar to a lock but overcoming a much greater level of difference in elevation.
There are 16 boat lifts in Europe, including 6 in France.
Some vessels in our fleet, due to their adapted dimensions, cross 3 to 16 European boat lifts each year.
If you would like to experience one of these installations one day, we have selected for you the different itineraries that allow you to cross these boat lifts!
The different boat lifts you can cross with CroisiEurope
The inclined plane of Saint-Louis-Arzviller on the Marne-Rhine Canal, in France
The Niederfinow boat lift along the Oder, in Germany
From Berlin to Copenhagen The Havel, the Oder and the Baltic sea (port-to-port cruise)
BERLIN - HOHENSAATEN - SZCZECIN - WOLGAST - Island of Usedom - PEENEMÜNDE - LAUTERBACH - Island of Rügen - STRALSUND - Rostock - Gedser - Copenhagen
From Berlin to Copenhagen, sail along the Havel, the Oder and the Baltic Sea on a cruise combining modernity and tradition, originality and simplicity. Discover cities with unique architecture such as Stralsund, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, but also spectacular coastlines with fine sandy beaches and limestone cliffs on the islands of Usedom and Rügen. Visit the remains of Chorin Abbey, the finest example of brick architecture in Northern Germany.
The Scharnebeck boat lift along the Elbe, in Germany
From Berlin to Hamburg: Discover the Medieval Charms of Hanseatic Cities
BERLIN - NEDLITZ - BRANDENBURG - MAGDEBURG - WOLFSBURG - LUNEBURG - Lübeck - HAMBURG
Travel back in time to discover medieval Hanseatic cities between Berlin and Hamburg. Explore two of Germany’s largest metropolises and admire the cities’ outstanding architecture along the banks of the Elbe.