About Mohne Dam

The Möhnetalsperre is the oldest large reservoir in the Ruhr catchment and one of Germany's best-known heritage dams. Completed in 1913, the 134.5-million-cubic-metre reservoir in the Soest district of North Rhine-Westphalia served as the template for a generation of German masonry dam construction. The 650-metre-long rubble masonry gravity dam, standing 40 metres tall, impounds the Möhne river just above its confluence with the Ruhr to provide drinking water for the Ruhr industrial region and flood protection for Soest downstream. Like the Edersee, the Möhne dam was breached by the Dambusters raid of May 1943 — the breach was repaired by October of that year. The Möhnesee today is designated a European bird sanctuary (Vogelschutzgebiet) for wintering waterfowl, particularly goldeneye, goosander, and tufted duck, which congregate in large numbers on the reservoir during cold winters. The surrounding Möhnetal nature park protects extensive riparian habitats. The lakeside resort of Körbecke on the north shore is a regional recreation centre, and the reservoir is circumnavigated by a 40-kilometre cycle route. Water supply operations are managed by the Ruhrverband in coordination with the network of other Ruhr catchment reservoirs including Sorpe, Verse, and Bigge.