Eibenstock Dam (german: Talsperre Eibenstock) near

Eibenstock Eibenstock is a town in the western Ore Mountains, in the Erzgebirgskreis, Saxony, Germany. It is situated near the river Mulde. Geography Eibenstock has the following constituent communities: Eibenstock, Blauenthal, Wolfsgrün, Neidhardtsthal ...

in the Ore Mountains,

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, is the largest dam in the

Free State of Saxony Free may refer to: Concept * Freedom, having the ability to do something, without having to obey anyone/anything * Freethought, a position that beliefs should be formed only on the basis of logic, reason, and empiricism * Emancipate, to procure ...

in terms of the height of the dam above the valley floor, and its reservoir is the largest in volume in Saxony. The dam impounds the waters of the

Zwickauer Mulde The Zwickauer Mulde () is a river in Saxony, Germany. It is the left tributary of the Mulde and in length. The source of the river is in the Ore Mountains, near Schöneck, in the Vogtlandkreis. It runs northeast to Aue, then northwest to Z ...

and supplies

drinking water Drinking water is water that is used in drink or food preparation; potable water is water that is safe to be used as drinking water. The amount of drinking water required to maintain good health varies, and depends on physical activity level, a ...

to the region of

Chemnitz Chemnitz (; from 1953 to 1990: Karl-Marx-Stadt , ) is the third-largest city in the German state of Saxony after Leipzig and Dresden. It is the 28th largest city of Germany as well as the fourth largest city in the area of former East Germany a ...

and

Zwickau Zwickau (; is, with around 87,500 inhabitants (2020), the fourth-largest city of Saxony after Leipzig, Dresden and Chemnitz and it is the seat of the Zwickau District. The West Saxon city is situated in the valley of the Zwickau Mulde (German: ' ...

, as well as providing flood protection, delivering extra water during times of drought and, to a lesser extent, generating electricity from

hydropower Hydropower (from el, ὕδωρ, "water"), also known as water power, is the use of falling or fast-running water to Electricity generation, produce electricity or to power machines. This is achieved by energy transformation, converting the Pot ...

. Its dimensions make it the second largest drinking water reservoir in Germany's new federal states. In order to make way for its construction, the inhabitants of the village of Muldenhammer (also called Windischhammer or Windischthal), whose former buildings (10 homes, 1

wood pulp Pulp is a lignocellulosic fibrous material prepared by chemically or mechanically separating cellulose fibers from wood, fiber crops, waste paper, or rags. Mixed with water and other chemical or plant-based additives, pulp is the major raw mate ...

factory, 1 large estate for the breeding of '' Höhenfleckrinder'' cattle and a paper mill) lie today under the water surface, had to be resettled. Many of them moved to new houses that were built in Eibenstock. In addition, the Chemnitz–Aue–Adorf railway between Wolfsgrün and Schönheide Ost was interrupted. The Schönheiderhammer tunnel on that stretch of the route was flooded. At low water levels the old portals of the tunnel can still be seen. Likewise, the branch line from Eibenstock unt. Bf. to Eibenstock ob. Bf. had to be closed. This section, the only standard gauge railway in Saxony with an incline of 1:20, was once known as the Eibenstock Ramp (''Steilstrecke Eibenstock''). Wasserschanze der Trinkwassertalsperre Eibenstock

Wasserschanze der Trinkwassertalsperre Eibenstock

The barrier itself is a straight

gravity dam A gravity dam is a dam constructed from concrete or stone masonry and designed to hold back water by using only the weight of the material and its resistance against the foundation to oppose the horizontal pressure of water pushing against it. ...

made of concrete. It was built between 1974 and 1984; it was taken into service in 1982 and completed in 1987. The first partial impoundment had already been carried out by 1980. The dam has an upstream auxiliary dam ( Schönheiderhammer Dam) and four subsidiary upstream basins ( Rähmerbach, Geidenbach, Weißbach, Rohrbach). Above the dam is an observation point offering a view across the reservoir. The dam itself is not accessible to the public. Bathing and water sports are also banned, because the dam impounds a drinking water reservoir.

References

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External links

Eibenstock Dam at www.talsperren.net

Dams completed in 1987 Energy infrastructure completed in 1987 Dams in Saxony Ore Mountains Hydroelectric power stations in Germany REibenstock Protected landscapes in Germany

See also

References

External links