Ludwig-Danube-Main Canal, Bamberg

The Ludwig-Danube-Main Canal, constructed between 1836 and 1845, was an ambitious project initiated by King Ludwig I of Bavaria to create a navigable connection between the North Sea near Rotterdam and the Black Sea near Constanta. The canal spanned from Bamberg to Kelheim, overcoming the European watershed. Its construction involved the building of 100 locks, some located in the Altmühl and Regnitz rivers, to manage a total elevation difference of 264 meters. The canal facilitated an 80-meter ascent from the Danube and a 184-meter descent to the Main.

For several decades, the canal served as a significant shipping route between the Danube and the Main, peaking in the 1850s with almost 200,000 tons of goods transported annually. However, this success was short-lived. The vessels designed for canal shipping, with a maximum capacity of around 120 tons, proved inadequate for the differing navigational conditions of the Danube and the Main. The resulting challenges in accommodating alternating traffic contributed to the canal's ultimate failure as a viable waterway between the two rivers.

In 1949, the Ludwig-Danube-Main Canal became the property of the Free State of Bavaria, and apart from two sections, it is no longer navigable today. However, the canal continues to attract visitors as a popular excursion destination and a place for relaxation. Its legacy lives on through the Main-Danube Canal, constructed between 1960 and 1992, which serves as the historic successor to the Ludwig-Danube-Main Canal, providing a navigable connection between the Main and the Danube rivers.