About Kolnbrein Dam

The Kölnbrein Dam is Austria's largest reservoir and one of the most impressive engineering achievements in the Alps. Completed in 1978 on the Malta River in the Hohe Tauern range of Carinthia, the double-curvature arch dam stands 200 metres tall — making it the tallest dam in Austria — and holds 200 million cubic metres of water at 1,902 metres above sea level. The dam is the centrepiece of the Malta-Reisseck power plant complex operated by VERBUND, one of Europe's leading hydroelectric utilities. Water released from the reservoir plunges through a system of underground tunnels and powerhouses, generating renewable electricity for hundreds of thousands of Austrian households. The Kölnbrein reservoir and the surrounding Malta valley attract visitors who drive the spectacular Malta High Alpine Road, passing waterfalls, glaciers, and the sheer concrete face of the dam itself. The reservoir regularly stores snowmelt from winter precipitation, providing a critical seasonal buffer for the national electricity grid. The dam's construction required innovative engineering: the original thin arch design developed cracks under hydraulic pressure, necessitating a downstream concrete plinth added in 1992 to stabilise the structure — a well-documented chapter in Austrian dam engineering history.