Kaiser Wilhelm I Denkmal and Schachtschleuse

Small though it may be, Minden has some interesting things. This weekend my teaching mentor and I visited a couple cool places here. Minden is home to the Wasserstraßenkreuz – the place where the Mittellandkanal, a man-made canal that runs east-west, crosses the Weser River. It’s hard to explain exactly, but it looks a little like a highway overpass made of water. (I didn't take this photo.)The Schachtschleuse is an intricate pumping contraption that lowers or raises water so that boats can move from the canal to the river and vice versa.
From Minden you also get a good view of the Kaiser Wilhelm I Denkmal, which honors the first Kaiser Wilhelm, (people are quick to emphasize that it’s not the second one).
It’s huge! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve looked out at it through my window and wondered about it. At night it’s lit up like a gigantic orange beacon. It’s just as imposing in person, although it was a very cloudy day, so there was absolutely no view. Maybe next time.