What is "semkenfahrt"

The Semkenfahrt is part of a canal system in Germany. It was used in former times (about 1750 to 1918) by barges to bring peat from the Teufelsmoor area to the town of Bremen. In the area of Teufelsmoor the peat was dug and dried, and in Bremen it was used for heating purposes.

Semkenfahrt denotes three parts of the canal system: the Alte Semkenfahrt (= Old Semkenfahrt), the Semkenfahrtkanal (= Semkenfahrt canal), and the Neue Semkenfahrt (= New Semkenfahrt). The word Semkenfahrt originated from Semken, the surname of a family who gave the land to build the canal, and Fahrt which means a navigable channel in the nautical sense.