A whisper of history. That’s what the Erftkanal in Neuss feels like. Not Dusseldorf. The Erftkanal isn’t in Dusseldorf. It’s in Neuss. This waterway holds centuries of stories. It’s a vital artery. A lifeline for Neuss’s thriving port.
The Erftkanal wasn’t always a canal. It was once part of the Erft River. The Erft a river springing from the Eifel mountains. It originally flowed into the Rhine. But the Rhine shifted its course. That created a long parallel sandbank. This sandbank redirected the Erft’s mouth far north. The Erft found a new path. It flowed east of Neuss. It used an old Rhine bed. Eventually the Erft met the Rhine north of the city.
Neuss’s medieval harbor thrived on this river. It boasted three docks. One was easily accessible from Bruckstrasse. Another lay near Kranenpforte. The largest dock stood near Rheintor. It was equipped with a stone crane. This crane unloaded millstones and wine casks.
For centuries keeping the upper Erft clear of silt was a challenge. In the 17th and 18th centuries ships struggled. A 1765 project to deepen the river failed. Money was scarce. But the 1831 Rhine Navigation Act changed things. Tolls and trade restrictions vanished. Neuss’s merchants saw an opportunity. They dredged the upper Erft. This created a trade and security harbor. In 1843 the harbor’s head received free port status. A packhouse was built. The free port idea boosted trade and shipping dramatically. Neuss supplied the textile industry with coal. The harbor shipped textiles. It became a major hub for agricultural goods. Oil and milling industries boomed.
In 1871 a steam crane arrived. This eased the work of the many porters. They were known as Erftkadetten. In 1881-82 the harbor basin was deepened. The banks were reinforced. A harbor railway connected to the main station. In 1888 over 100000 tons of goods passed through. Oil seeds and grain were over half. Low water remained an issue. 1893 showed a 20% drop in goods.
A grand plan emerged. Havestadt & Contag engineers designed a large harbor. This was on the 625 hectare Neuss Wiesen. The Erftkanal was dredged again in 1897 and 1904. The south end became the main harbor basin. It had new quay walls. It opened in 1908. The Ring and harbor railway connected it. The west was the trade harbor. The east housed oil mills. Simons Söhne and Thywissen were there. International Harvester and Nationale Radiator Gesellschaft arrived from America. An industrial harbor took shape.
Today the Erftkanal area is changing. The old customs office is gone. The new Haus am Pegel building is there. It houses the Neuss building association. The Stadtentwicklungsgesellschaft Modernes Neuss GmbH is there too. So is the Stadthafen Neuss Verwaltungsgesellschaft. New stairs descend to the basin. The banks are a promenade. Remains of the Kehlturm are visible. This is near the medieval dock. The water gauge was built in 1936. The Erftkadetten bronze statue arrived in 1980. The Erftkanal continues to flow. It carries a current of history. It connects Neuss to its vibrant past.