HÄUSENER CRANE
The harbour crane in Sankt Goarshausen has been standing on the banks of the Rhine for exactly 100 years.
The Häusen crane was built in 1917 by Maschinenfabrik Jaeger/Duisburg as a state-of-the-art electrically operated gantry slewing crane with a 25 metre long jib arm that could be slewed through 360 degrees. Three drive motors ensured optimum operation on the 150 metre long crane runway, which followed the course of the river in an arc.
For 82 years, the St. Goarshausen harbour crane performed its work at the interface between water and land, survived two world wars and provided numerous jobs in the town of St. Goarshausen and the surrounding area. It was used to transfer general cargo as well as stone, sand, coke, grain and much more between the Rhine ships and the Nassau railway, which started operating in 1903.
It also offered inland waterway shipping an important interim facilitation option in times before the deepening of the Rhine. Uphill travellers could temporarily store part of their cargo here and thus manage the rocky route around the Loreley with less draught.
In 1999, the company Rhenus, which had operated it for over 20 years, forced it into retirement. (Source: www.haeusener-kran.de)