The Elisabeth lock in Kessler was opened on July 29, 1828. The 4.5 m wide and 26 m long lock is well preserved. It is built of carefully worked quarry stones and originally yellow clinker brickwork. Repairs have been made in the meantime using red canal clinker and plaster. The wooden caulking gates have been removed when they became dilapidated.Flood control is provided by the dam gates (emergency gates) when necessary. No gates are needed for recreational boating, which still exists today. The lock chamber still sufficiently documents the importance of the locks for shipbuilding on the Lippe.
The weir is a movable weir. It was built in 1891 as a replacement for the original weir. The massive weir body has 3 openings, each 6 m wide. During the last war, a stream pier and a land abutment at the Kessler dam were severely damaged by blasting. The weir body was restored in its original form in 1953/54. At the same time, the contactor guides, protective boards and elevator devices as well as the weir bridge serving the public traffic (municipal road) were renewed. A footpath next to the bridge is used to serve the weir. Although the weir was renewed in 1891 and the above mentioned reconstruction works took place in 1953/54, due to the above mentioned connection with the lock, a technical-historical value is added to the historical one.
A nice place to take a break during a leisurely bike ride through Lippetal.