The Barge Tug Trail along the River Gudenå
On the Barge Haulers’ Trail along the Gudenå River, you can follow in the footsteps of the 19th-century barge haulers. The trail was created for the horses and barge haulers who pulled barges laden with goods between Silkeborg and Randers. For many hundreds of years, the Gudenå River was the main transport route from Randers to the heart of Jutland.
The Pramdragerstien today
Today, you can walk along the Pramdragerstien, also known as the Trækstien, which is now part of the the Gudenå Trail Gudenåstien. The Trækstien is approximately 70 kilometres long in total and runs from Randers to Silkeborg. Here you can experience a rich variety of birdlife in the beautiful meadows and grazing animals in a landscape of fields and woods that opens up more and more right up to where the Gudenå River flows into Randers Fjord.
The barges and barge pullers
The barges were loaded with up to 25 tonnes of paper, bricks, peat, lime, rope or similar goods.
Against the current on the way into Jutland, the barges were pulled by hired hands, barge haulers or horses walking along the bank. The barge haulers pulled the barges with ropes over their shoulders. With the current, the water and wind helped propel the transport along. To steer the barge and provide extra speed, the bargemen used long poles.
The use of barges grew rapidly in the mid-19th century, but by the end of the century, the Gudenåen barge trade was overtaken by the spread of the railway. However, barge traffic continued until 1920. Today, it is mainly tourist canoeing that generates traffic on the river.
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Get directions
Tørvebryggen 11
8900 Randers C
Last updated by::VisitAarhusweb@visitaarhus.com
