The Rappbode Auxiliary Dam (german: Rappbodevorsperre) is one of the two
auxiliary dams in 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 ...
system. This is the heart of the Rappbode Dam system in the East Harz, which is operated by the Saxony-Anhalt Dam Company (''Talsperrenbetrieb des Landes Sachsen-Anhalt'') and which also includes the
and the
Königshütte,
Mandelholz and
Wendefurth
Wendefurth is a hamlet in central Germany that, since 1 July 2009, has been part of the borough of Thale district of Harz. Previously it belonged to the municipality of Altenbrak which was incorporated into Thale.
Geographical location
The hamle ...
dams.
The Rappbode Auxiliary Dam near
Trautenstein
Trautenstein is a village in the borough of Oberharz am Brocken in the district of Harz in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. Trautenstein has 493 inhabitants . Formerly an independent municipality, it was merged into the town Hasselfelde in 2002, ...
is used, together with the main dam, for supplying
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 for
flood protection.
The auxiliary dam impounds the
River Rappbode
The Rappbode is a right-hand, southwestern tributary of the River Bode in the Harz mountains in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. In its lower reaches it is impounded by the Rappbode Dam, the largest dam in the Harz.
The Rappbode rises east o ...
. It has a 25 m high
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. ...
.
The area around the Rappbode Auxiliary Dam is well-suited to
walking
Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of terrestrial locomotion among legged animals. Walking is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined by an 'inverted pendulum' gait in which the body vaults o ...
. Its eastern shore is dominated by numerous rocky crags. On the most important lakeside rocks, where today the reservoir and, formerly, the Rappbode river makes a small bend, there was once a castle, the
Trageburg
The Trageburg is a ruined castle immediately next to the Rappbode Pre-Dam in the Harz Mountains of Germany. It is located near Trautenstein in the district of Harz in Saxony-Anhalt.
Its purpose, like that of the nearby Susenburg, was to protec ...
, which, like the
Susenburg not far away, was used to guard an old long-distance trade route.
Gallery
File:RappbodeVorsperreTrageburgfelsen.jpg, Trageburg
The Trageburg is a ruined castle immediately next to the Rappbode Pre-Dam in the Harz Mountains of Germany. It is located near Trautenstein in the district of Harz in Saxony-Anhalt.
Its purpose, like that of the nearby Susenburg, was to protec ...
castle once stood on these central rocks
File:RappbodeTalsperreSued.jpg, Southern section of the reservoir with the Trageburg
The Trageburg is a ruined castle immediately next to the Rappbode Pre-Dam in the Harz Mountains of Germany. It is located near Trautenstein in the district of Harz in Saxony-Anhalt.
Its purpose, like that of the nearby Susenburg, was to protec ...
rocks on the left-hand side
File:RappbodevorsperreFelsverzierung.jpg, The eastern shore is guarded by crags
File:RappbodevorsperreSuedende.jpg, The southern end near Trautenstein
Trautenstein is a village in the borough of Oberharz am Brocken in the district of Harz in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. Trautenstein has 493 inhabitants . Formerly an independent municipality, it was merged into the town Hasselfelde in 2002, ...
See also
*
List of dams in the Harz
In the Harz mountains, there is a higher than average number of dams with their associated reservoirs. The reason is that the Harz is one of the regions with the heaviest rainfall in Germany and so its water power was utilised very early on. The ...
*
List of reservoirs and dams in Germany
These are dams and reservoirs in Germany.
The German word ''Talsperre'' (literally: valley barrier) may mean dam, but it is often used to include the associated reservoir as well. The reservoirs are often separately given names ending in ''-see' ...
External links
The Rappbode Auxiliary Dam ('Predam')
Saxony-Anhalt Dam Company{{in lang, de
Dams in the Harz
Dams in Saxony-Anhalt
Dams completed in 1961