# Senden, Dortmund-Ems-Kanal -- 2014 -- 2991-5

- By: Dietmar Rabich
- Date: Taken on 1 August 2014, 06:29
- Classification: Photograph
- Museum: [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Senden,_Dortmund-Ems-Kanal_--_2014_--_2991-5.jpg)
- Rights: [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)
- Picture: https://invisiblenetwork.ai/thumbs/commons/thumb/7/74/Senden%2C_Dortmund-Ems-Kanal_--_2014_--_2991-5.jpg/1920px-Senden%2C_Dortmund-Ems-Kanal_--_2014_--_2991-5.jpg
- Who can see it: Kids profiles and older (museums give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the museum's own words)

Construction site of the Dortmund-Ems Canal near Senden, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany The idea of connecting the industrial conurbation of the Ruhr region with a navigable waterway to the North Sea, namely the seaport of Emden, arose in the 19th century because the rapidly growing volume of freight traffic was overloading the railways and cheaper transport was needed. Construction of the Dortmund-Ems Canal began in 1892 and took around seven years. On August 11, 1899, the canal was officially opened by Emperor Wilhelm II – as the first large, uniformly planned inland waterway canal in Germany. Due to its strategic importance during World War II, the canal was attacked and damaged several times, which temporarily interrupted its use. After the war, it was repaired and gradually modernized to accommodate larger ships and push barges. The Dortmund-Ems Canal is approximately 269 kilometers long and runs from Dortmund to the Ems estuary port near Emden. It connects to other important canals at various points, including the Wesel-Datteln Canal, the Datteln-Hamm Canal, and the Mittelland Canal network, making it a central hub of the German waterway system. One of the most famous…