Fish ladder Hagestein

Fish passage at the weir of Hagestein

Hagestein - From the bridge over the Lek river on the A27 you can already see the characteristic Stuw Hagestein. This characteristic weir complex has 2 large round slides, which can slide down like a visor of a helmet to stop the river water. The Hagestein weir is necessary to regulate the water level in the Lek for shipping. Nice for the cargo ships - but less fun for the fish. Since the construction of the weir, they hardly ever reach their spawning grounds upstream. But since 2004 there is a solution for them: the fish ladder. A nice place to watch the flowing water and hope for that one jumping fish!

The weir at Hagestein is the westernmost of the 3 comparable weirs in the Lek and Rhine; the other 2 weirs also have a fish ladder and are located near Driel and Amerongen.