For shipping enthusiasts, she is considered a special veteran of the Danube: the motor towing ship (MZS) “Freudenau”. Built in 1942 in the Linz shipyard, it was used by the DDSG on the longest river in Central Europe between Regensburg and Ismajil (Soviet Union, later Ukraine) until 1993. After that it was still used as a towboat in Linz.
The “Freudenau”, powered by two diesel engines (1200 hp), pulled up to ten barges and thus transported up to 10,000 tons of ore and coal to voestalpine and sheet metal for cars from the steel industry in the state capital to Regensburg in Bavaria. Many Linzers still remember the 46.60 meter long, 7.20 meter wide motor ship as part of the “Cloud of Sound”. At that time, not only choral voices were heard from the ship, but also a contribution was made to the fireworks of the big event.
In 1995 it finally changed hands. Purchased from the “Schifffahrtsmuseum Regensburg eV” working group for the symbolic price of one shilling, it is maintained in Bavaria by volunteers and is still used several times a year on special trips with up to 50 passengers during the summer months – as the only ship in the museum that is still drivable .
Last ship in original condition
For her 80th birthday, the “Freudenau” returned to her place of birth in the Linz shipyard. Here she was lifted out of the water, cleaned and then given a new coat of paint up to the railing. Dressed up, the “Freudenau” is initially denied the return trip to Regensburg. The reason: the low water level of the Danube above the three-river city of Passau.
The “Freudenau” has a total of 19 sister ships, which were built in three different shipyards, six in Deggendorf, four in Korneuburg and ten in Linz. However, the “Freudenau” is the only one that has been preserved in its original condition.
Source: Nachrichten
