Less Traffic on Saale and Unstrut - Saale and Unstrut rivers see a dip in boat traffic for 2023
Boat traffic on the Saale and Unstrut rivers saw a slight decline last year. In 2023, around 12,320 vessels passed through the waterways, down from over 14,000 in 2022. The rivers remain a popular route, though numbers have dipped from previous years.
The 2023 lock season officially ran from Maundy Thursday until October 31. During this period, a total of 4,068 lock operations took place across both rivers. The busiest stretch was on the Unstrut, between Wendelstein and Freyburg, where 2,438 lock passages were recorded.
On the Saale, the section from Oeblitz to Bad Dürrenberg saw 1,630 lock operations. This was significantly lower than the Unstrut’s busiest route, though no official explanation was given for the difference. The figures come from the LHW (Landesbetrieb für Hochwasserschutz und Wasserwirtschaft), which monitors river traffic. In 2022, around 60,000 people used the waterways for leisure and transport. While last year’s numbers were not disclosed, the drop in vessel traffic suggests fewer visitors overall.
The decline in boat traffic marks a shift from the previous year’s activity. The Unstrut section between Wendelstein and Freyburg remained the most heavily used, accounting for more than half of all lock operations. Officials have not yet commented on whether the trend will continue in 2024.
