Weissbruck and the Weissbruck Canal

Fire on the river

The trip to Bögenhafen involves traveling the full length of the Weissbruck Canal from outside Altdorf to Weissbruck, where it joins the River Bögen. Barges enter the great lock at the entrance of the canal by the quiet village of Lethov on the very edge of the Altdorf Flats. Here the toll of 2 GC is paid and the barge passes through to the canal itself.

The 60-mile Weissbruck Canal was completed in 2462 IC to carry coal and iron from the mines at Delfgruber directly to Altdorf, avoiding the heavy tolls in Carroburg. Originally designed to accommodate narrow barges towed by horses, the owners have since opened the canal to barges of all kinds to increase toll revenues. However, as the canal is only 25ft wide at its narrowest point, and given the average Reik barge is some 23ft wide, the canal is far too narrow for two larger barges to pass side-by-side. To remedy this, an expensive refit began 20 years ago to widen the canal to at least 50ft in key sections to provide ‘passing places’. It was already this wide by the berthing points and locks, but these were too infrequent to ensure jams were not a daily occurrence. 

Today, all the original berthing points have inns adjacent, which are broadly similar in layout to the Coach and Horses Inn. House Gruber of Weissbruck manages the canal on behalf of the three noble houses who own it in equal parts: Gruber, Holzkrug, and Holswig-Schleistein. There is an 18/– toll per barge to enter the canal, or 2 GC for barges over 12ft wide, collected at either the Reiksport or Weissbruck end. There are no further toll points along the canal itself.

Weissbruck is a swiftly growing town on the River Bögen. It is ruled by the recently ennobled House Gruber, a family that may be rich because of its deep mines in the Skaag Hills, but has little in the way of status. Less than a century ago, Wiessbruck was just another small farming and fishing village, but with the opening of the nearby mines and the construction of the canal, it has expanded rapidly. 

It is now a bustling merchant town with a population that's quickly growing towards 2000, and the sound of construction rings everywhere as new buildings expand the outskirts to all sides. Warehouses line the canal and river banks, storing coal and iron ore from the nearby mines, wool and wine from Bögenhafen, and all manner of goods from Altdorf, Carroburg, and the Vorbergland Canals.