The Schwarzenbach Dam (german: Schwarzenbachtalsperre) is a
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. ...
near
Forbach
Forbach ( , , ; gsw, Fuerboch) is a commune in the French department of Moselle, northeastern French region of Grand Est.
It is located on the German border approximately 15 minutes from the center of Saarbrücken, Germany, with which it const ...
in the
Northern Black Forest
The Northern Black Forest (german: Nordschwarzwald) refers to the northern third of the Black Forest in Germany or, less commonly today, to the northern half of this mountain region.
Geography
The Northern Black Forest is bounded in the north b ...
of
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 ...
. It is the most important structure of the Rudolf-Fettweis-Werk's
pumped storage power station. The operator of the dam, which was completed in 1926 in a side valley of the
Murg valley, is
EnBW Kraftwerke.
Description
The reservoir collects the water on the eastern slopes of the rainy main crest of the Northern
Black Forest
The Black Forest (german: Schwarzwald ) is a large forested mountain range in the state of Baden-Württemberg in southwest Germany, bounded by the Rhine Valley to the west and south and close to the borders with France and Switzerland. It is t ...
, below the mountains of
Hornisgrinde
The Hornisgrinde, 1,164 m (3,820 ft), is the highest mountain in the Northern Black Forest of Germany. The Hornisgrinde lies in northern Ortenaukreis district.
Origin of the name
The name is probably derived from Latin, and essentiall ...
,
Mehliskopf
The Mehliskopf is a mountain, , on the main chain of the Northern Black Forest in Germany. It lies above the Black Forest High Road, between Sand (junction to Herrenwies and the Schwarzenbach Dam) and Hundseck (junction to Forbach-Hundsbach). ...
and
Badener Höhe
The Badener Höhe is a mountain in the Northern Black Forest in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It lies within the borough of Baden-Baden and municipality of Forbach. With a height of , it is the highest point in the borough of Baden-Baden ...
. The Schwarzenbach and Seebach streams are directly impounded, the water of the Biberach and Hundsbach (headstreams of the
Raumünzach) are led by
galleries from neighbouring valleys. In addition, the water of the Murg from the
Murg Dam
Murg may refer to:
Places
* Murg (Aare), a river of Switzerland
* Murg (Northern Black Forest), a river and right tributary of the Rhine in the districts of Freudenstadt and Rastatt, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
** Murg Valley Railway
* Murg (Sou ...
is pumped into the reservoir. The dam system provides load balancing in the
energy supply Energy supply is the delivery of fuels or transformed fuels to point of consumption. It potentially encompasses the extraction, transmission, generation, distribution and storage of fuels. It is also sometimes called energy flow.
This supply o ...
. Its maximum output is .
Leisure
The Schwarzenbach Reservoir is a popular recreation destination with the
Central/North Black Forest Nature Park
The Central/North Black Forest Nature Park (german: Naturpark Schwarzwald Mitte/Nord) is located in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. It covers an area of 3,750 km2 and was founded in December 2000. As of 2018, it is the third-largest nature pa ...
. It is a base for hiking tours and also has facilities for swimming, fishing and windsurfing. On the dam wall is a hotel (closed since 2011); in its vicinity is a boat hire stand. The
Black Forest National Park borders its southern shore.
See also
*
List of 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' ...
Literature
* Manfred Fieting: ''Die Schwarzenbach-Talsperre und das Murg-Hochdruckwerk'', Sutton Verlag, Erfurt, 2003, .
External links
Schwarzenbach Dam* {{Structurae, 20001663
*
Aerial photograph of the empty lake
Dams completed in 1926
Lakes of the Black Forest
Dams in Baden-Württemberg
Rastatt (district)
Gravity dams
Hydroelectric power stations in Germany
