The Sosa Dam (german: Talsperre Sosa) is 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, a ...

in the Free State of

Saxony Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...

in East Germany. It 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

Western Ore Mountains The Western Ore Mountains (german: Westerzgebirge) is a natural region that forms the westernmost part of the Ore Mountains in the German state of Saxony. It is also part of the major landscape unit known as the Saxon Highlands and Uplands. It ex ...

as well as acting as flood protection.

History

The dam was built between 1949 and 1952 in the ''Höllengrund'' 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 and taken into service in 1952. The dam itself is a crooked

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 quarrystone. It is the last dam of this type that was built in Germany. The impounded stream is the '' Kleine Bockau''. In addition the waters of the '' Große Bockau'' are diverted along a hillside channel west of the

Auersberg Auersberg is a mountain in the Ore Mountains in Saxony, southeastern Germany. Auersberg is a 1018.2 m above sea level. It is located in the district of Wildenthal not far from the Czech border southeast of Eibenstock and northwest of Johanngeor ...

from Oberwildenthal via Wildenthal to the reservoir. Following the foundation of the state of

East Germany East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...

, the construction of the dam was turned over to the

Free German Youth The Free German Youth (german: Freie Deutsche Jugend; FDJ) is a youth movement in Germany. Formerly, it was the official youth movement of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) and the Socialist Unity Party of Germany. The organization was meant ...

as the first central youth objective within the first two-year plan. In view of the simple materials used for its construction it remains even today as technically impressive. Its realisation as a youth objective took on a strong ideological slant in the years that followed. The facility was given the sobriquet "Dam of Peace" (''Talsperre des Friedens'') and was mentioned in the Song of the Youth Brigades (''Lied der Jugendbrigaden: "We provided water in Sosa...'').

Leisure use

No public ways run over the dam. Bathing, angling and leisure sports are not permitted, but there is a public footpath around the reservoir. There is a car park near the dam that can be accessed by road from Sosa.

Sources

* Rainer Thiel: ''Der Stausee unterm Auersberg''. Trafo-Verlag Weist, Berlin 2002, * Christian Wünsche (Hrsg.): ''Waren wir Helden!? Sosa-Erbauer erinnern sich.'' Berlin, 2002. Anfragen: Günter Krenkel, Rostock, Telefon: 0381-682394 * Kube, Walter: Mein Abenteuer Sosa , MDR.DE

External links

Information on the dam and reservoir by the Saxon State Reservoir Agency
{{Authority control Dams completed in 1952 Dams in Saxony Ore Mountains RSosa 1952 establishments in Germany Gravity dams

History

Leisure use

See also

Sources

External links