13 so-called stop beams can be inserted into the Marientor. Each one weighs over 8 tons and is around 16 meters wide. They must be lowered into the opening using a crane. This is millimeter or centimeter work. “We have 8 centimeters of air, right and left, that’s pretty tight,” says Dirk Knüttel from the Duisburg business enterprises. While an insulating beam is hanging on the crane, he has to pull it into the correct position with a rope.
Flood protection up to a Rhine level of 13 meters
If all 13 insulating beams are placed one above the other in the gate, they will protect the city center up to a Rhine level of 13 meters. During the last major flood in Duisburg in 1995, the water level was 11.66 meters.
The insulation beams should only be used in emergencies. The Marientor, the actual barrier between the Rhine and the Duisburg inner harbor, is almost 100 years old. Completed in 1928, it undergoes regular maintenance and repairs, but in 2013 it got stuck.
Inserting the insulation beams is a matter of centimeters of work. | Image source: WDR/Jessica Westen
The stop logs are therefore further security. “We have already closed the Marientor three times this year, so you can say that Rhine flood protection is becoming increasingly important,” says Norbert Lorenz, head of the canal construction division at the Duisburg business enterprises. A Rhine flood in southern Germany would be enough for the water level in Duisburg to rise threateningly.
District government approves funding for renovation
Everything goes smoothly at practice on Monday. The old Marientor will soon be extensively renovated. The Düsseldorf district government has just approved funding of 20 million euros for this purpose.
Our sources:
- Reporter on site
- Business enterprises Duisburg
WDR will also report on this topic on November 4th, 2024 on WDR television in the local time from Duisburg.
