Historic peat loading station [Station 5 | Wieken-Tour]

Until the post-war period, black peat was highly valued as a fuel. In 1949 alone, around 400,000 tons of fuel peat were extracted from the East Frisian moorlands. The majority of this was done using specially designed, high-performance machines. This could cover about half of the domestic heating needs in East Frisia.
For this purpose, a peat loading station was set up specifically over the canal of the 1st Südwieke. The centerpiece of the facility was a narrow bridge; during the loading process, a peat barge was maneuvered underneath the loading station. The loaded peat piles were then pushed onto the bridge, the movable sides of the trolley were opened, and in a matter of seconds, two tons of peat tumbled into the barge's hold. Depending on their size, the peat barges could be loaded relatively quickly with up to 25 tons of peat and with minimal labor.

Here stands an old locomotive with trolley over the canal Südwieke 1 in the immediate vicinity of the pedestrian bridge

Funnily enough, the HL is now located at the Strenge company. It produces a wide range of soils and substrates. In the postwar period, black peat was highly valued as a fuel. In 1949, around 400,000 tons of fuel peat were extracted from the East Frisian moorlands, and the majority was produced using powerful machines. These machines operated in the moorlands, particularly around Ostrhauderfehn, from early spring to late summer. The compressed peat was transported from the moor in the fall by narrow-gauge railway and then loaded onto ships. A special peat loading station was set up over the canal of the 1st Südwieke, where the peat could be efficiently loaded onto ships. A narrow bridge made it possible to push the loaded peat piles onto the bridge, and up to 25 tons of peat could be loaded within a very short time. Not only peat ships were loaded, but also simple barges with a low carrying capacity. These barges were often unmotorized and had to be towed for miles. One or more people pulled the vessel with a rope, while the boatman steered the boat with a long pole at the stern.