The Straussee Ferry (
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany, the country of the Germans and German things
**Germania (Roman era)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
: ''Strausseefähre'') is a passenger
cable ferry
A cable ferry (including the types chain ferry, swing ferry, floating bridge, or punt) is a ferry that is guided (and in many cases propelled) across a river or large body of water by cables connected to both shores. Early cable ferries often ...
that crosses the
Straussee lake, near the town of
Strausberg in
Brandenburg
Brandenburg, officially the State of Brandenburg, is a States of Germany, state in northeastern Germany. Brandenburg borders Poland and the states of Berlin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony. It is the List of Ger ...
,
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
.
Overview
The ferry service is operated by the
Strausberg Railway, using the ferry ''Steffi'', which can carry up to 100 passengers at a time. The ferry is unusual in that it is electrically operated, with an overhead supply at 230
volt
The volt (symbol: V) is the unit of electric potential, Voltage#Galvani potential vs. electrochemical potential, electric potential difference (voltage), and electromotive force in the International System of Units, International System of Uni ...
s. Although there are other operations of this type in the world, this operation is believed to be unique in
Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
.
The overhead wire for the power supply of the ferry is fixed on two lattice towers, one on the eastern shore of Straussee at the edge of the city of Strausberg and one on the western shore of Straussee at the edge of Strausberg forest. The distance between both towers is 369 metres making it to the longest span of an overhead wire used for vehicle power supply.
The tower on the eastern shore, which also carries a clock, has a height of 9.6 metres and replaced in 2006 an older tower, while the tower on the western shore measures 9.7 metres in height and was erected in 1915. The minimum clearance of the overhead wire over Straussee is 5.8 metres.
The ferry service is numbered as route F39 by the
Verkehrsverbund Berlin-Brandenburg
The Verkehrsverbund Berlin-Brandenburg (VBB) is a transport association run by public transport providers in the German states of Berlin and Brandenburg. It is a private limited company owned jointly by the states of Berlin and Brandenburg (w ...
(VBB), the joint transport association for the states of
Berlin
Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
and Brandenburg. However it has its own fare structure and does accept the common tariff fares of the VBB.
See also
*
Ferry transport in Berlin
*
Canby Ferry, an electrically driven cable ferry in
Oregon
Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...
, United States
*
Princeton Ferry, an electrically driven cable ferry in
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
, United States (defunct)
References
External links
Official web page of the Strausseefähre(in German)
Photographs of the ferry(captions in German)
Western terminus of overhead line of Straussee FerryEastern terminus of overhead line of Straussee Ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus ...
Ferry transport in Brandenburg
Cable ferries in Germany
Ferry
A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus ...
Trolley ferries
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