The Urft Dam is the oldest valley dam in the Eifel and is located in the middle of the Eifel National Park. At the time, the dam was planned as the largest structure in Europe. Construction of the 266 m long wall made of quarry stones began in 1899 - in May 1905 the dam was filled with water for the first time. In addition to flood protection and energy generation, the aim of the hydraulic engineering measure was to supply the region with drinking water. With a length of 12 km, a width of up to 1 km and a maximum depth of 52 m, Lake Urft has a capacity of 45.5 million cubic metres. From 1995 to 1999, the dam, which is now maintained by the Eifel-Rur Water Association, was renovated and adapted to the current state of the art. Extensive information on the technology and construction of the Urft dam has been set up by the Eifel-Rur Water Board directly at the dam wall. Starting from the Kneipp spa town of Gemünd, hikers and cyclists can follow the well-maintained Urftrandweg (Eifel-Höhen-Route) to the dam. The route is about 12.5 km long and leads through almost untouched landscape, which has hardly been exposed to human intervention in the past 50 years due to its former military use. From Gemünd via Wolfgarten and up to the vicinity of the dam wall (Haftenbach bus stop), there is a regular bus shuttle service on Saturdays and Sundays from May to October. Bicycles can be taken along.
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