With just 16 locks, the canal overcomes a total height difference of 243 metres. With a lifting height of up to 24.70 metres and a maximum usable length of 190 metres, the locks are among the largest and most modern structures of their kind in Europe. A number of technical innovations were also developed specifically for the Main-Danube Canal. To this day, these are recognised as top achievements in international waterway construction. These include, above all, the so-called economy locks developed to save water. These lock systems have storage basins at three different levels in which the water can be stored after a lockage process. In this way, a total of two thirds of the water volume can be stored and reused during the next passage.
