Küsten Canal

File:Küstenkanal Oldenburg.JPG

Eastern section of the Küsten Canal in Oldenburg. The two bridges are the Amalienbrücke (front) and Cäcilienbrücke (rear)

The Küsten Canal, also known as the Coastal Canal (German: Küstenkanal), is a canal, about 70 kilometres (43 mi) long, that links the Dortmund-Ems Canal with the Hunte and thus the Weser rivers.

It was built from 1922 to 1935 by widening an already existing drainage channel and is used today, especially by the peat industry and for transporting coal from the Ruhrgebiet to Bremen.

History

In April 1945, the 100-metre (330 ft) wide canal was a significant obstacle to Allied forces advancing from the Ems estuary into Germany. Forces of the 4th Canadian (Armoured) Division assaulted over the canal on 19 April and secured a bridgehead. "Küsten Canal" was awarded as a battle honour to the British Columbia Regiment, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada (Princess Louise's), Algonquin Regiment, Lake Superior Scottish Regiment, Lincoln and Welland Regiment, and Royal New Brunswick Regiment.

Data

• Length: 69.63 kilometres (43.27 mi)
• Water depth: 3.50 metres (11.5 ft)
• Bridge clearance: 4.50 metres (14.8 ft)
• Category IV inland waterway

Route

Ems near Dörpen - southern Papenburg - northern Friesoythe - Hunte in Oldenburg

In many places the canal runs parallel to the B 401.

See also

c-Port, an association and trading estate on the canal.

External links

• Wasser- und Schifffahrtsamt Meppen (German)
• Wasser- und Schifffahrtsamt Bremen (German)
• Das Projekt Küstenkanal der Grundschule Friedrichsfehn (German)