Königshütte Dam
Encyclopedia
The Königshütte Dam 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
). It is a so-called storage reservoir (Überleitungssperre) forming part of the Rappbode Dam
system.
The dam itself was built on the Bode from 1939–1943 and 1952–1956 with construction being interrupted by the war. It is an 18 metre high gravity dam, made of concrete
, for the supply of drinking water
and for flood protection. It also provides reserves of water during times of drought and hydro-electric power. The power station has a nominal output of 60 kW and generates 0.18 GWh per annum.
The gently curving dam wall is 108 m long and has a volume of 13,500 m³. It can be overtopped along almost its entire length. In one section there is a fish-belly flap gate that can be lowered by 1.5 metres to provide flood control
.
The reservoir
has a capacity of 1.2 million m³ and covers an area of 32 hectares. Part of the water is diverted from here through a 1,795 m long tunnel to the Rappbode Reservoir. The rest flows back into the Bode and down to the Wendefurth Reservoir, where it is reunited with the water from the Rappbode Reservoir again.
A quiet concrete road from Königshütte runs along the northern side of the reservoir as far as the dam. On the south side a wide footpath leads back to Königshütte, which passes the confluence
of the Kalte and Warme Bode. Numerous footpaths lead from the dam in almost all directions of the compass. The location is suitable for both anglers and walkers
.
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt is a landlocked state of Germany. Its capital is Magdeburg and it is surrounded by the German states of Lower Saxony, Brandenburg, Saxony, and Thuringia.Saxony-Anhalt covers an area of...
in the Harz mountains. It impounds the River Bode
Bode
Bode may refer to:in people by surname:*Boyd Henry Bode , American academic and philosopher*Bruce Bode, MD, FACE, American diabetes specialist*Denise Bode , American politician*Erin Bode, American singer...
and lies between Königshütte and Susenburg (both in the borough of Oberharz am Brocken
Oberharz am Brocken
Oberharz am Brocken is a town in the district of Harz, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It was formed on 1 January 2010 by the merger of the former municipalities:Benneckenstein,Elbingerode,Elend,Hasselfelde,Königshütte,Rübeland,Sorge,Stiege,Tanne,...
). It is a so-called storage reservoir (Überleitungssperre) forming part of the Rappbode Dam
Rappbode Dam
The Rappbode Dam 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 individual dams :...
system.
The dam itself was built on the Bode from 1939–1943 and 1952–1956 with construction being interrupted by the war. It is an 18 metre high gravity dam, made of concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
, for the supply of drinking water
Drinking water
Drinking water or potable water is water pure enough to be consumed or used with low risk of immediate or long term harm. In most developed countries, the water supplied to households, commerce and industry is all of drinking water standard, even though only a very small proportion is actually...
and for flood protection. It also provides reserves of water during times of drought and hydro-electric power. The power station has a nominal output of 60 kW and generates 0.18 GWh per annum.
The gently curving dam wall is 108 m long and has a volume of 13,500 m³. It can be overtopped along almost its entire length. In one section there is a fish-belly flap gate that can be lowered by 1.5 metres to provide flood control
Flood control
In communications, flood control is a feature of many communication protocols designed to prevent overwhelming of a destination receiver. Such controls can be implemented either in software or in hardware, and will often request that the message be resent after the receiver has finished...
.
The reservoir
Reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
has a capacity of 1.2 million m³ and covers an area of 32 hectares. Part of the water is diverted from here through a 1,795 m long tunnel to the Rappbode Reservoir. The rest flows back into the Bode and down to the Wendefurth Reservoir, where it is reunited with the water from the Rappbode Reservoir again.
A quiet concrete road from Königshütte runs along the northern side of the reservoir as far as the dam. On the south side a wide footpath leads back to Königshütte, which passes the confluence
Confluence
Confluence, in geography, describes the meeting of two or more bodies of water.Confluence may also refer to:* Confluence , a property of term rewriting systems...
of the Kalte and Warme Bode. Numerous footpaths lead from the dam in almost all directions of the compass. The location is suitable for both anglers and walkers
Pedestrian
A pedestrian is a person traveling on foot, whether walking or running. In some communities, those traveling using roller skates or skateboards are also considered to be pedestrians. In modern times, the term mostly refers to someone walking on a road or footpath, but this was not the case...
.