In the

Harz mountains The Harz () is a highland area in northern Germany. It has the highest elevations for that region, and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. The name ''Harz'' derives from the Middle High German ...

, there is a higher than average number of

dams A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...

with their associated reservoirs. The reason is that the Harz is one of the regions with the heaviest rainfall in

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 ...

and so its

water power Hydropower (from el, ὕδωρ, "water"), also known as water power, is the use of falling or fast-running water to produce electricity or to power machines. This is achieved by converting the gravitational potential or kinetic energy of a ...

was utilised very early on. The first dam (on the Upper Harz Ponds) was built to drive water-powered

pumps A pump is a device that moves fluids (liquids or gases), or sometimes slurries, by mechanical action, typically converted from electrical energy into hydraulic energy. Pumps can be classified into three major groups according to the method they ...

and stamp mills used in the mines. At present, the Harz reservoirs provide

hydroelectricity Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined an ...

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 ...

and

flood protection Flood control methods are used to reduce or prevent the detrimental effects of flood waters."Flood Control", MSN Encarta, 2008 (see below: Further reading). Flood relief methods are used to reduce the effects of flood waters or high water levels ...

particularly when the snows melt in spring. The following is a list of

in the Harz: *

Ecker Dam The Ecker Dam (german: Eckertalsperre) is a gravity dam in the Harz mountain range near Bad Harzburg, Germany. Constructed between 1939 and 1943, it is today operated by the Harzwasserwerke company. The dam's reservoir impounds the waters of the ...

which impounds the waters of the

Ecker The Ecker is a , right-hand, southeast tributary of the Oker which runs mainly through the Harz mountains in the German states of Saxony-Anhalt and Lower Saxony. Course From its source to Abbenrode the Ecker is a border river, today running ...

Grane Dam The Grane Dam (german: Granetalsperre) is a dam above the village of Astfeld/Herzog-Juliushütte in the borough of Langelsheim in the Lower Saxon part of the Harz mountains. Dam system It is the newest dam in the Harz, built in 1969 in th ...

which impounds the waters of the Grane * Hassel Auxiliary Dam which impounds the waters of the Hassel, is part of the Rappbode Dam system *

Innerste Dam The Innerste Dam (german: Innerstetalsperre) is a dam on the Innerste river, which lies near Langelsheim and Wolfshagen in the Harz mountains. It was built between 1963 and 1966 and belongs to the ''Harzwasserwerke''. Its purposes are the su ...

which impounds the waters of the

Innerste The Innerste is a river in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is a right tributary of the Leine river and in length. Origin of the name The river name is not related to the German word ''innerste'' meaning innermost. ''Innerste'', in earlier times c ...

Kelbra Dam The Kelbra Dam (german: Talsperre Kelbra) is a dam on the River Helme in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. Behind the dam is the lake known as the Kelbra Reservoir (''Stausee Kelbra'') or Kelbra Flood Retention Basin (''Hochwasserrückhaltebecke ...

which impounds the waters of the

Helme The Helme is river in central Germany that is about long and which forms a left-hand, western tributary of the Unstrut in the states of Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt. Course The river rises in Thuringia south of the Harz mountains in the dis ...

Königshütte Dam The Königshütte Dam (german: Talsperre Königshütte) is a dam in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt in the Harz mountains. It impounds the River Bode and lies between Königshütte and Susenburg (both in the borough of Oberharz am Brocken). I ...

impounds the waters of both the Warme and Kalte Bode, and is part of the Rappbode Dam system * Mandelholz Dam (flood control basin) which impounds the waters of the

Kalte Bode The Kalte Bode is the left-hand headstream of the Bode in the High Harz Mountains in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. It is long. Name The names of the Warme and Kalte Bode ("Warm" and "Cold" Bode) come from their actual temperature differenc ...

* Neustadt Dam (or Nordhausen Dam) which impounds the waters of the Krebsbach *

Oder Dam The Oder Dam (german: Odertalsperre) is a dam in the Harz mountains of Germany. It lies above Bad Lauterberg in the district of Göttingen in Lower Saxony and impounds the river Oder. The dam went into service in 1934 after taking 3 years to build ...

which impounds the waters of the Oder *

Oderteich The Oderteich is an historic reservoir about seven kilometres northeast of Sankt Andreasberg in the Upper Harz in central Germany. It was built by miners from St. Andreasberg in the years 1715 to 1722 and, today, is an important component of the ...

which impounds the waters of the Oder *

Oker Dam The Oker Dam (german: Okertalsperre) is a dam in the Harz mountains in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is fed by the River Oker. Technology The dam is in the shape of an arch (see arch-gravity dam). It is 75 m high, 260 m long, can impo ...

which impounds the waters of the

Oker The Oker is a river in Lower Saxony, Germany, that has historically formed an important political boundary. It is a left tributary of the River Aller, in length and runs in a generally northerly direction. Origin and meaning of the name The ...

Rappbode Dam The Rappbode Dam (german: Rappbode-Talsperre) is the largest dam in the Harz region as well as the highest dam in Germany. Together with several other dams and retention basins, it forms the flood protection system for the eastern Harz. The indi ...

which impounds the waters of the Rappbode und Hassel, and is part of the Rappbode Dam system * Rappbode Auxiliary Dam which impounds the waters of the Rappbode, and is part of the Rappbode Dam system *

Söse Dam The Söse Dam is a dam in the Lower Saxon part of the Harz mountains near Osterode in the German state of Lower Saxony. It was the first modern dam and reservoir complex (German: ''Talsperre'') to be built in the Harz and was constructed by th ...

which impounds the waters of the

Söse Söse is a river of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is a right tributary of the river Rhume and long. Geography The Söse rises on the plateau of ''Auf dem Acker'' in the district of Göttingen in the southwestern part of the Harz Mountains in Ge ...

* Wendefurth Dam which impounds the waters of the Bode, and is part of the Rappbode Dam system * Wippra Dam (or Wipper Dam) which impounds the waters of the Wipper * Zillierbach Dam which impounds the waters of the

Zillierbach The Zillierbach (until 1558 called the Zilgerbach) is a stream in the Harz mountains of central Germany ( Harz district) in the state of Saxony-Anhalt. It is about long. The stream rises on the western side of the ''Hohneklippen'' crags and runs ...

In addition, according to the definition of a

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...

, 30 of the Upper Harz Ponds (''Teiche'') also count as dams in the Harz. These elements of the

Upper Harz Water Regale The Upper Harz Water Regale (german: Oberharzer Wasserregal, ) is a system of dams, reservoirs, ditches and other structures, much of which was built from the 16th to 19th centuries to divert and store the water that drove the water wheels of the ...

belong to the oldest working dams in Germany.

Sources

* Martin Schmidt: ''Damn im Harz, Ost- und Westharz'', 8. Auflage, Piepersche Druckerei und Verlag GmbH, Clausthal-Zellerfeld, 2005 !Dams !Dams !Harz ! H

Dams A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...

See also

Sources