The Schwarzenbach Dam () 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. Gravity dams are designed so that each section of the dam is ...
near
Forbach
Forbach ( , , ; ) 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 constitutes a ...
in the
Northern Black Forest of
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
. 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
EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG, or simply EnBW, is a publicly-traded energy industry, energy company headquartered in Karlsruhe, Germany.
History Foundation and development
EnBW came into existence on 1 January 1997 as a result of the merge ...
Kraftwerke.
Description
The reservoir collects the water on the eastern slopes of the rainy main crest of the Northern
Black Forest
The Black Forest ( ) is a large forested mountain range in the States of Germany, 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 th ...
, below the mountains of
Hornisgrinde,
Mehliskopf and
Badener Höhe. 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 is pumped into the reservoir. The dam system provides load balancing in the
energy supply. Its maximum output is .
Leisure
The Schwarzenbach Reservoir is a popular recreation destination with the
Central/North Black Forest Nature Park. It is a base for hiking tours and also has facilities for swimming, fishing and windsurfing. Near 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
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