List of dams in the Harz
Encyclopedia
In the Harz mountains there is a higher than average number of dams
with their associated reservoir
s. 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 first dam (on the Upper Harz Ponds
) was built in order to drive water-powered pumps and stamp mill
s used in the mine
s.
At the present time the Harz reservoirs provide hydro-electricity, drinking water
and flood protection, particularly when the snows melt in spring.
The following is a list of dams
in the Harz:
In addition, according to the definition of a dam
, 30 of the Upper Harz Ponds
(Teiche) also count as dams in the Harz. These elements of the Upper Harz Water Regale
belong to the oldest working dams in Germany.
DAMS
Driot-Arnoux Motorsport is a racing team from France, involved in many areas of motorsports. DAMS was founded in 1988 by Jean-Paul Driot and former Formula One driver René Arnoux. It is headquartered near Le Mans, only 2 km from the Bugatti Circuit.- History :The year after its foundation,...
with their associated 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...
s. The reason is that the Harz is one of the regions with the heaviest rainfall in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and so its water power was utilised very early on. The first dam (on the Upper Harz Ponds
Upper Harz Ponds
The Upper Harz Ponds are found mainly around the mining town of Clausthal-Zellerfeld and the nearby villages of Buntenbock and Hahnenklee in the Upper Harz mountains of central Germany. There are around 70 ponds in total, both large and small...
) was built in order to drive water-powered pumps and stamp mill
Stamp mill
A stamp mill is a type of mill machine that crushes material by pounding rather than grinding, either for further processing or for extraction of metallic ores. Breaking material down is a type of unit operation....
s used in the mine
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
s.
At the present time the Harz reservoirs provide hydro-electricity, 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 flood protection, particularly when the snows melt in spring.
The following is a list of dams
DAMS
Driot-Arnoux Motorsport is a racing team from France, involved in many areas of motorsports. DAMS was founded in 1988 by Jean-Paul Driot and former Formula One driver René Arnoux. It is headquartered near Le Mans, only 2 km from the Bugatti Circuit.- History :The year after its foundation,...
in the Harz:
- Ecker DamEcker DamThe Ecker Dam is a dam near Bad Harzburg in the Harz mountains of Germany that went into service in 1942. It impounds primarily the waters of the river Ecker....
which impounds the waters of the EckerEckerEcker is a river in Germany. It may also refer to:Entertainment*Meng and Ecker As a name:*Danny Ecker*Janet Ecker*Guy Ecker*Haylie Ecker*William Ecker*Tyler Ecker*Enrique Ecker*Alexander Ecker*Johnny Ecker... - Grane DamGrane DamThe Grane Dam 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 the Grane valley...
which impounds the waters of the GraneGrane (river)The Grane is a right tributary of the Innerste river near Goslar.It rises in the vicinity of Hahnenklee in the Upper Harz and discharges about 12 km later into the Innerste near Langelsheim . At Herzog Juliushütte, in the municipality of Astfeld near Goslar, it is controlled by the Grane Dam.... - Hassel Auxiliary DamHassel Auxiliary DamThe Hassel Auxiliary Dam or Hassel Dam is an auxiliary dam or pre-dam on the Rappbode Reservoir in the Harz mountains of central Germany. It is located near Hasselfelde in the state of Saxony-Anhalt and impounds the waters of the Hassel, the eastern of the two headwaters of the Rappbode Reservoir...
which impounds the waters of the HasselHassel (river)The Hassel is a river in the East Harz Mountains in Germany. It flows through several municipalities including Stiege and the town of Hasselfelde. Its sources is located not far from Stiege. After about it flows into the Hassel Auxiliary Dam and later into the Rappbode Reservoir....
, is part of the Rappbode Dam systemRappbode DamThe 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 :... - Innerste DamInnerste DamThe Innerste Dam 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 supply of drinking water, flood protection, water flow regulation and hydroelectric power...
which impounds the waters of the InnersteInnersteThe Innerste is a river in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is a right tributary of the Leine river and 95 km in length.- Origin of the name :... - Kelbra DamKelbra DamThe Kelbra Dam 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 or Kelbra Flood Retention Basin .- Purpose :...
which impounds the waters of the HelmeHelmeHelme may refer to:* Helme a long river in central Germany*Helme Parish, a rural municipality in Valga County, Estonia**Helme, a small borough in Helme Parish**Helme Castle in Helme... - Königshütte DamKönigshütte DamThe 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...
impounds the waters of both the Warme and Kalte Bode, and is part of the Rappbode Dam system - Mandelholz DamMandelholz DamThe Mandelholz Dam holds back the Kalte Bode Flood Control Basin which is a flood protection reservoir located between the villages of Elend and Königshütte near Wernigerode in the Harz mountains of Germany...
(flood control basin) which impounds the waters of the Kalte BodeKalte BodeThe Kalte Bode is the left-hand headstream of the River Bode in the High Harz Mountains in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. It is long.-Name:... - Neustadt DamNeustadt DamThe Neustadt Dam, also known as the Nordhausen Dam is the oldest dam in the Free State of Thuringia in Germany. It supplies drinking water to the town of Nordhausen....
(or Nordhausen Dam) which impounds the waters of the Krebsbach - Oder DamOder DamThe Oder Dam is a dam in the Harz mountains of Germany. It lies above Bad Lauterberg in the district of Osterode am Harz 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 OderOder (Harz)The Oder is a 56 km long river in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is a right tributary of the Rhume. Its source is in the Harz mountains, near Sankt Andreasberg. It flows southwest through Bad Lauterberg, Pöhlde and Hattorf am Harz... - OderteichOderteichThe 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 water supply network known as the Upper Harz Water...
which impounds the waters of the OderOder (Harz)The Oder is a 56 km long river in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is a right tributary of the Rhume. Its source is in the Harz mountains, near Sankt Andreasberg. It flows southwest through Bad Lauterberg, Pöhlde and Hattorf am Harz... - Oker DamOker DamThe Oker Dam 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 . It is 75 m high, 260 m long, can impound up to 47 million m³ of water and provides hydropower, flood protection and water...
which impounds the waters of the OkerOkerThe 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.- Course :... - Rappbode DamRappbode DamThe 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 :...
which impounds the waters of the Rappbode und Hassel, and is part of the Rappbode Dam system - Rappbode Auxiliary DamRappbode Auxiliary DamThe Rappbode Auxiliary Dam is one of the two auxiliary dams in the Rappbode Dam system. This is the heart of the Rappbode Dam system in the East Harz, which is operated by the Saxony-Anhalt Dam Company and which also includes the Hassel Auxiliary Dam and the Königshütte, Mandelholz and Wendefurth...
which impounds the waters of the Rappbode, and is part of the Rappbode Dam system - Söse DamSöse DamThe 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 dam to be built in the Harz and was constructed by the Harzwasserwerke between 1928 and 1931. It is used for flood prevention, electricity generation, supplying...
which impounds the waters of the SöseSöseThe Söse is a right tributary of the river Rhume, 38 kilometres long, in Lower Saxony, Germany.- Geography :The river rises on the plateau of Auf dem Acker in the district of Osterode in the southwestern part of the Harz Mountains in Germany... - Wendefurth DamWendefurth DamThe Wendefurth Dam near Wendefurth in the Harz is one of the dams downstream of the Rappbode Dam, that provides flood protection as well as impounding the River Bode to provide the lower reservoir for the Wendefurth Power Station...
which impounds the waters of the Bode, and is part of the Rappbode Dam system - Wippra DamWippra DamThe Wippra Dam or Wipper Dam is a dam on the river Wipper in the Harz mountains. It lies near Wippra, not far from Mansfeld and Hettstedt in Saxony-Anhalt. It was built between February 1951 and November 1952....
(or Wipper Dam) which impounds the waters of the Wipper - Zillierbach DamZillierbach DamThe Zillierbach Dam lies in the East Harz in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt near the town of Elbingerode and impounds the Zillierbach stream...
which impounds the waters of the ZillierbachZillierbachThe Zillierbach is a stream in the Harz mountains of central Germany The Zillierbach (until 1558 called the Zilgerbach) is a stream in the Harz mountains of central Germany The Zillierbach (until 1558 called the Zilgerbach) is a stream in the Harz mountains of central Germany (Harz district in the...
In addition, according to the definition of a dam
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...
, 30 of the Upper Harz Ponds
Upper Harz Ponds
The Upper Harz Ponds are found mainly around the mining town of Clausthal-Zellerfeld and the nearby villages of Buntenbock and Hahnenklee in the Upper Harz mountains of central Germany. There are around 70 ponds in total, both large and small...
(Teiche) also count as dams in the Harz. These elements of the Upper Harz Water Regale
Upper Harz Water Regale
The Upper Harz Water Regale 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 mines in the Upper Harz region of Germany...
belong to the oldest working dams in Germany.
Source
- Martin Schmidt: Damn im Harz, Ost- und Westharz, 8. Auflage, Piepersche Druckerei und Verlag GmbH, Clausthal-Zellerfeld, 2005