The Belgern Elbe ferry is resuming service. According to the city of Belgern-Schildau, the ferry is scheduled to run Monday through Friday from 5:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. and from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. However, because the Elbe is currently at low water levels, ferry service cannot take place for the time being, officials said. After the previous operators ceased operations, the future of the ferry service had initially been uncertain.
The former operators had suspended ferry service as of July 1, partly for economic reasons. In an official gazette published in late May, the mayor of Belgern-Schildau, Ingolf Gläser (CDU), had spoken out in favor of permanently maintaining the ferry connection: “The ferry service is an indispensable part of our municipal infrastructure. It connects not only the two banks of the Elbe, but above all the local people.”
The Elbe ferry has a long tradition. According to the Belgern-Schildau municipal administration, there was already a ferry in the town in the district of Northern Saxony as early as the 11th century.
