The Erlangen lock was built between May 1967 and July 1970 as part of the construction of the federal waterway Main-Danube Canal and was inaugurated on October 30, 1970.[4] Since it is dilapidated, the new building has been planned since 2014 while the building is still in operation.[5] It is designed as an economy lock with three economy basins to the west of the lock basin.
The lock has its own command post, but has been remotely operated from the WSV headquarters in Kriegenbrunn since 2007.[7] The Nuremberg, Kriegenbrunn and Eibach locks are also remote-controlled from there. From 2024, twelve locks will be controlled from the Nuremberg control center, later all 16 canal locks.[8]
Except in the event of operational disruptions such as accidents, maintenance work or ice conditions, the lock is operational around the clock all year round and is illuminated at night. Upstream and downstream there are locks for commercial shipping, waiting areas with intercoms for leisure shipping and slipways for small craft. Small vehicles are only handled during the day and usually together with large shipping. Human-powered watercraft are not locked; for these, a transport trolley with a deposit is available at the slip points for manual transfer.
Source: Wikipedia