The road across the Rurtalsperre. by Eus Driessen

About "The road across the Rurtalsperre."

by Eus Driessen

About the artwork

The Roerdaldam "Rurtalsperre Schwammenauel" is a dam in the Ruhr near the German town of Heimbach. This dam was built to regulate the water level in the lower reaches of the Roer and to generate electricity by means of a hydroelectric power station.

The dam was built between 1934 and 1938. In 1939 it was brought into use. The dam is made of stones and soil, between which there is loam.

By the end of World War II, the Rudder was in the front area between the German troops and the Allied troops. On February 10, 1945, German troops sabotaged the valves of the dam, so that the reservoir emptied. This created high water downstream in the Roer, causing the Allied operation Grenade to delay for two weeks. Between 1955 and 1959, the dam was increased by twenty meters to the current 77 meters above the old river bed. This greatly expanded the surface of the Roermeer, even to the town of Einruhr. The abandonment of land, including farms and houses, initially met with fierce resistance. Now, in harmony with the natural environment, a lake has emerged that has tourist appeal.
The dam in front of the dam is almost eight square kilometers in size. The lake can hold up to 200 million cubic meters of water. The island of Eichert is located in the middle of the lake. The vegetation on this island consists almost entirely of forest. The highest point of the island is 36 meters above the water level of the reservoir.