Overview

• The State Chancellery said a multi-stage nomination process is underway with the goal of securing World Heritage status by 2034.
• An initial dossier is planned by late summer 2027 for review by Icomos, building on the site’s addition to Germany’s tentative list two years ago.
• Minister-President Reiner Haseloff described the 150-year-old structure as a technical and cultural masterpiece at a jubilee event.
• Environment Minister Armin Willingmann emphasized its ongoing role with the Umflutkanal in protecting settlements and farmland, notably Magdeburg and Schönebeck.
• Built between 1871 and 1875, the weir is Europe’s largest operable panel weir and has been opened 64 times, most recently during the 2023/24 winter high water, with the LHW reporting good condition after a 2010 restoration.