River barges from the Berlin area

From 2007 onwards, wrecks of a specific ship type that were found in the Werbellinsee in Germany have been studied by an association founded specially for this purpose (the Kaffenkahn Association). The wreck called Dornbuschwrack is one of the these wrecks of a local type of pram, known as Kaffenkahn (literally: prow pram), named after the characteristic shape of the rising prow. These type of prams operated on the lakes, rivers and canals in the hinterland of Berlin, supplying the metropolis with rural commodities.

The wreck has been linked to a local newspaper article in Teltower Kreisblatt (29 August 1886), which reports the loss of the vessel and its skipper with his wife and son, who supposedly rushed into the deckhouse to recover valuables when the vessel started to sink and then went down with the vessel and drowned. A deckhand was reportedly the sole survivor, who could swim to the shore.

Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin

The newspaper article.

Oleksiy Konovalov

A sketch of the wreck.

The wreck has been (and still is) studied and monitored by a diving association of professional and amateur archaeologists called the Kaffenkahn e.V.

The wreck still features the rudder and a mast-step. The cargo (which is still present in the wreck) consisted of bricks. Unfortunately, all the other loose items in and around the wreck have been removed by divers in the past.

A few members of the association created a model of the wreck which gives a good idea of its appearance and functionality.

Kaffenkahn e.V.

The model of the wreck.

The association also busies itself with public education and dive training.

Especially the long-term monitoring sheds a light on the state of preservation and decay, influenced by both natural and anthropogenic impacts. Due to the depth and the low water temperatures (even in summer), the preservation of the wreck is quite good.

• Kaffenkahn e.V.
  Dornbuschwrack.
• Deutsche Welle.
  Exploring the history of sunken “Kaffenkahn” barges.
• Reinfeld, M. (2010).
  Neue Untersuchungen an den brandenburgischen Kaffenkähnen.
  Nachrichtenblatt Arbeitskreis Unterwasserarchäologie 16.
  pp 72-76.
• Reinfeld, M. (2018).
  Forschung vor der Haustür. Die Pfahlbauten und Kaffenkähne im Werbellinsee.
  In: B. Schiller, K. Müller (eds.), Von Kreta nach Kuba. Gedenkschrift zu Ehren von Veit Stürmer (Berlin: Logos).
  pp 469-482.