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| Sorpe Dam | |
|---|---|
 Aerial photograph of Sorpesee; the Sorpe dam is in the very background | |
  Location of Sorpe Dam in Germany | |
| Official name | Sorpetalsperre |
| Country | Germany |
| Location | Sundern,Hochsauerland |
| Coordinates | 51°21′01″N07°58′03″E / 51.35028°N 7.96750°E /51.35028; 7.96750 |
| Construction began | 1926 |
| Opening date | 1935 |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Impounds | Sorpe (Röhr) |
| Height | 69 m (226 ft) |
| Length | 700 m (2,297 ft) |
| Dam volume | 3,380,000 m3 (119,000,000 cu ft) |
| Reservoir | |
| Total capacity | 70MCM |
| Surface area | 3.3 km2 (1.3 sq mi) |
| Power Station | |
| Type | Conventional |
| Installed capacity | 7.44MW |
TheSorpe Dam (German:Sorpetalsperre) is adam on theSorpe river, near the small town ofSundern in the district ofHochsauerland inNorth Rhine-Westphalia,Germany.
Together with theBiggesee, theMöhne Reservoir, and the Verse reservoir, the Sorpe Reservoir is one of the major artificial lakes of theSauerland'sRuhrverband reservoir association. It serves as awater supply, driveshydroelectric generators, and is used for leisure and recreation.
The Sorpe Dam is situated to the north of theHomert natural park, south-west of the city ofArnsberg in an area belonging to the borough ofSundern (Sauerland) between the villages ofLangscheid (at the dam) and Amecke. It is supplied by theSorpe stream.
About once a year in spring, the reservoir runs over into thespillway, generating massive whitewater down the cascades to the stilling basin that draws crowds of spectators for a few days.
The major prerequisite for the construction of the Sorpe Dam was the completion of theRöhrtal railway on 1 June 1900, astandard gaugeKleinbahn connecting Sundern to theObere Ruhrtalbahn atNeheim-Hüsten. During construction, itssteam locomotives pulled heavy construction trains over a specially laid construction spur and the newly erected railwayviaduct atStemel to what became Europe's largest construction site between 1926 and 1935. In total, the steam trains carried more than 300,000 metric tonnes of construction material to the Sorpe dam, where smallerlight railways took over.
InWorld War II, the Sorpe Dam was among the targets of the Britishairstrikes ofOperation Chastise in the night from 16 to 17 May 1943, as were the dams on theEder andMöhne. In these attacks, theRoyal Air Force attempted to destroy the dams usingbouncing bombs, achieving at least one direct hit on the Sorpe Dam. According to the BBC 'Dambusters Declassified' the bomb used on Sorpe was not to spin as it was dropped on the dam rather than on the water and had no need to bounce. However, while the olderarch-gravity dams of Eder and Möhne were successfully breached, causing a catastrophic flooding of the Ruhr valley, the Sorpe'sembankment dam with itsconcrete core covered in soil withstood the attacks with only minor damage. The planners of the Operation had estimated that it would take 5 of the bouncing bombs placed correctly to weaken the dam sufficiently for water pressure to complete the break. The attacks also had to be made parallel to the line of the dam rather than perpendicular. A second British airstrike on 15 October 1944 with five-tonTallboy bombs also failed, leaving behind only several huge craters and causing minor spillage.
After the war, in late 1958 the reservoir was drained for bomb damage repairs, in the course of which, shortly before Christmas, workers discovered an unexploded Tallboy bomb. On 6 January 1959 the whole village of Langscheid was evacuated while Northrhine-Westphalia's chief bomb disposal officer, Walter Mietzke, and British Lieutenant, James M. Waters, jointly defused the 3.6m long bomb that still contained 2.5 metric tonnes of high explosive and 3 highly unstable tail-fuzes.[1]
Today, the Sorpe Reservoir affords opportunities to several recreational activities likescuba diving,rowing,yachting,windsurfing,beach volleyball, andrecreational fishing, while the surrounding area offers agolf course,hiking trails,rock climbing, four lakeshorecampsites on the west bank, and more. It has therefore become a favourite local recreation area for residents of the nearbyRuhr Area and is also popular withDutch tourists. The passengermotor shipMS Sorpesee is available for outings during the summer season. FourDLRG lifeguard bases as well as aRed Cross base on campsite 3 provide safety.
The campsites are numbered 2 through 5 from North to South; the youth hostel was built at the location of former campsite 1.
A new bicycle and pedestrian lane was constructed on the west bank parallel to the quayside road in 2006, connecting the hamlets of Sundern-Amecke and Sundern-Langscheid. Motor access to the east bank road is limited to service vehicles. Private motor boats are prohibited on the reservoir to prevent oil spills and for maintaining a high drinking water quality.
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