- Hatzenport
The Hatzenport ferry tower is a landmark of Hatzenport. A polygonal quarry stone tower with a slate-covered helmet built in 1863 to secure the ferry rope. The ferry service in Hatzenport was first mentioned in documents in the middle of the 16th century. As a Palatine fief, the ride across the Hatzenport stream was given by the lordship of Ehrenburg to Friedrich von Eltz Pirmont in 1545. Since 1827 the ferry was the property of the municipality. It is believed that Napoleon donated the ferry to the commune after he crossed the Moselle here. In any case, the other ferries remained mostly state property. The Moselle ferry connection Hatzenport was considered the most important connection from the Maifeld to the opposite Hunsrück heights and was part of the route of the first historical postal course Innsbruck - Mechelen. The old postal station of that time was located at the height of the Fahrberg estate, here the steep postal road on the opposite side came to the shore. The postal route was operated by the noble family von Turn und Taxis coming from Regensburg. In 1863 the landing stage was placed a few hundred meters up the Moselle. On April 27, 1863, the foundation stone was laid for a new ferry tower, today's Hatzenport landmark. Two ferry ramps were built. The chronicle records an accident: during the excavation of the ferry tower foundation, the mason Johann Josef Ibald was buried and could only be recovered dead. Before the Second World War and afterwards until 1957 a Ponte was in service in Hatzenport. The last ferry of Hatzenport was purchased by the community in 1957 for 60,000 DM. With its loading weight of 24 tons, it was the largest on the entire Moselle. After the construction of the Löf Alken bridge in 1972, the ferry service was no longer profitable and had to be discontinued. The end of the Moselle ferries began to appear. In their place bridges swing from bank to bank. Time demanded these faster connections, which also function in icy conditions and high water, at night and in fog. As the Hatzenporter said: A piece of tradition has disappeared, with "Hol über" it is over.
The surrounding gastronomy invites you to stop.
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