With the decision to build the new Shiplift, Prussia set a highly visible precedent. The railways had struggled to handle the transport of bulk goods to and from the seaports. To support the rise of the coal and steel industry in the Ruhr area, a second high-capacity transport system was to be developed: domestic inland shipping. The proposed Mittelland Canal was intended to link the Oder, Elbe, Weser, Ems, and Rhine rivers.

Many conflicting interests were involved. The East Elbian Junkers, conservative representatives of the agricultural sector, rejected the plans, as did advocates of the heavy industries in Saarland and Silesia. To circumvent this resistance, the Prussian government focused on the first phase of the project: constructing the Dortmund-Ems Canal — coal for Emden, ore for the coal and steel hub of Dortmund.

The limitations on ship size (67 meters long, 8.20 meters wide, 2 meters draught), which experts criticized as overly restrictive, were also a concession to the plan’s opponents.

Prussian King Wilhelm II used the celebrations to mark the commissioning of the Dortmund-Ems Canal on 11 August 1899 to make a demonstrative statement to the canal's opponents: ‘The canal can only be fully effective in conjunction with the Mittelland Canal, which my government is determined to tackle. (Bravo)’. The battle for the Mittelland Canal continued.

With the help of the "Schiffshebewerk Henrichenburg", ships were to overcome a 14 metre difference in height. Economic and operational considerations led to this solution. It was more cost-effective than the initially planned lock staircase with two or three locks.

The "Schiffshebewerk Henrichenburg" was a technical innovation. It was the first multi-float hoist to be built. The total weight to be moved was around 3100 tonnes. Ships with a load capacity of up to 750 tonnes could be lifted. The vertical lifts in England, France and Belgium from the second half of the 19th century ‘only’ lifted ships up to 400 tonnes; they worked on the basis of hydraulic principles as ram lifts. A new feature of the "Schiffshebewerk Henrichenburg" was the straight vertical guidance of the trough using four screw spindles (patented by F. Jebens). The technical utilisation of buoyancy, on the other hand, had been known since antiquity (Archimedes' principle).

The "Schiffshebewerk Henrichenburg" was not the first float-based lift in the world. Experimental installations had already been built in England at the end of the 18th century — one a single-float lift by Rowland and Pickering, the other an immersion lock by Robert Weldon, designed for a canal system with small vessels.

In 1806, Charles Faurey constructed a single-float lift modeled on the English prototypes on the Canal du Creusot, a branch of the Canal du Centre in France.

Around 1900, following the successful commissioning of the"Schiffshebewerk Henrichenburg", international debate among engineers about the most effective method of lifting vessels — whether by vertical lift or inclined plane — reached its peak.

The ambition to build the first ship lift for large inland vessels inspired many engineers. For this reason, the Ministry of Public Works initially even pursued its own design and promoted the prestigious project both domestically and abroad.

It was only after criticism and protests from those excluded from the process that the private sector became involved. The ministry was then forced to launch a limited competition.

Five major engineering firms and shipyards took part, submitting ten different designs for vertical lifts and inclined planes. The winning bid came from the company Haniel & Lueg. In the spring of 1894, the Ministry of Public Works awarded the company the contract to build the Shiplift.

Chief engineer Gerdau explained the basic principle behind this float-based hoist in a clear and accessible way:

"Lifting this weight to a height of 16 [!] metres would, of course, require an enormous amount of force. To avoid that, one must look for a force that constantly pushes the weight upward without any additional effort. One could imagine a whole series of balloons attached to the ship’s trough, lifting its weight and keeping it afloat — but of course, that’s not practically feasible.

However, the same effect is achieved if you imagine a series of large iron balloons or floats, completely submerged in water, supporting strong uprights at the top, on which the ship’s trough rests. The buoyancy of these floats completely offsets the weight of the trough, allowing it to be moved up and down with ease."

In this float-based hoist, the ship’s trough rests on five air-filled submersible bodies (floats), which are submerged in five water-filled shafts. The downward force of the filled trough, its supporting structures, and the floats is balanced by the upward-acting buoyant force. This buoyancy is determined by the volume of the air-filled floats.

Even a slight increase or decrease in the amount of water in the trough causes it to move downward or upward. Four guide spindles, each 24.60 metres long and driven by a central electric motor, regulate the lifting and lowering process and ensure that the ship’s trough remains perfectly level at all times.

Apart from minor technical issues, the hoist met all expectations. It also served as a key hub for coordinating shipping and waterway operations.

After the hoist was completed, a small housing estate was built on the south side of the canal for its employees, while a separate residence for the department head was constructed on the north side.

The site soon became a destination for active construction and industrial tourism.

The engineers solved the task of lifting ships using the means of modern steel framework and mechanical engineering. However, the defining feature of the hoist’s “distant image” was its stone architecture. It was designed by Chief Building Director Carl Hinckeldey at the Berlin Ministry of Public Works. From a structural standpoint, it was not necessary and concealed part of the technology. Yet, through its architecture, the client conveyed a message to the people: Progress shapes the course of history. Its representative is Prussia.

The national coat of arms on the façade of the main building displays the Prussian eagle adorned with the state insignia—the crown, sceptre, orb—and the intertwined letters F[ridericus] and R[Rex] for Frederick I, the first King of Prussia. The coats of arms of the Province of Westphalia on the south side and the Province of Hanover on the north side represent the two Prussian provinces through which the Dortmund-Ems Canal runs.

With the expansion of the Dortmund-Ems Canal to accommodate larger ships, the old ship lift—and later the adjacent shaft lock—became too small. After the successful commissioning of the new "Schiffshebewerk Henrichenburg" in 1962, the old lift fell into disrepair. Plans were made to demolish it. The operational equipment was dismantled, scrapped, or looted.

A local citizens’ initiative sparked a change of perspective, and the Federal Waterways Administration ultimately decided against demolition.

Building on the concept of preserving monuments in situ, the Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe decided in 1979, in coordination with the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, to establish a decentralized Westphalian Industrial Museum.

Following extensive restoration and reconstruction—without restoring its original function—the old "Schiffshebewerk Henrichenburg" in Waltrop has been a popular and well-visited museum since 1992, dedicated to the history of the West German canal network and its shipping. In 1995, it received a special international commendation in the European ‘Museum of the Year Award’ competition.

The museum now also includes a museum harbour, a shipyard, a harbour and transshipment area, and a unique collection of original historic ships.

By preserving the hoist and developing it into a museum, the federal government, the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, the town of Waltrop, and the Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe have made an important contribution to preserving both the cultural landscape of the West German waterways and their shipping, as well as maintaining a distinctive landmark. Civic engagement was at the heart of this success story.