Lock no. 100

Last of the locks of the old Ludwig-Main-Danube-Canal, built between 1836 and 1845. It connected the Danube near Kehlheim with the River Main just outside of Bamberg. Over the course of these 172 km ships had to pass 100 locks, surpassing around 200 metres of elevation, and needed to be towed from the riverside going upriver. Even though a technological masterpiece in its time and a great work of industrial history, the canal was never very successful, as the competing railway lines expanded fast nearly at the same time, and the 100 locks, the shallow water depth limiting overall tonnage, and the hard work of towing the ships upriver were relicts of the past far sooner than the architects had reckoned with.
Today, the lock 100 is still active for leisure and sport boats as well as canoes and is operated by hand. Furthermore, the lock helps to regulate the water level in the old arm of the River Regnitz. An idyllic lockhouse stands nearby.