For many Varelers and for countless visitors, the Vareler Schleuse is one of the places where people like to stay and risk a look over the dike. The lock is also a reminder of Varel's economic history. A (hand-operated) lock was built there in 1846, which was replaced in 1977 by the dock lock that is still in use today. The lock was operated by the Schütte family for three generations. The last lock keeper, Karl Schütte, died in 1980. His grandfather opened the lock for the first time in 1846. At that time, Varel's economy was prospering. Iron, coal, wood and cotton were imported, rod iron, cattle and above all bricks were exported.
The first hand-operated lock - "Spill, Schott un Boom" today in the pedestrian zone at Wendehammer Hindenburgstraße are reminiscent of that time - was 28 feet wide (one foot = approx. 30 centimeters) and designed for ships with a draft of up to eleven feet At that time, the usual size of ships in European voyages, as Wilhelm Kuck writes in his book about the "Streets of Varel".
A political issue was the construction of the new lock, which since 1984 has been called the Wilhelm-Kammann lock after the late mayor and member of the state parliament Wilhelm Kammann (1922 to 1980). Kammann was a member of the Lower Saxony state parliament from 1959 to 1978. There was a long argument about the financing of the lock with the state, which wanted to move away from its original plan to renew the lock in 1974 due to tight budgets. The then mayor Wilhelm Kammann (SPD) and other local politicians were very committed to a new building. In the end, the lock structure could still be built. The lock was inaugurated in 1977. It cost 8.6 million DM to build at the time. Its dimensions: twelve meters wide, three meters deep. She can let ships up to 60 meters long and 8.50 meters wide, which may have a draft of 3.5 meters, pass. With the construction of the lock, the Vareler Hafen special purpose association was also founded, which is in charge of the lock today. The city of Varel and the district of Friesland are involved