Eder Dam Edertal

The Edersee Dam, built between 1908 and 1914, spans the Eder River in Hesse, Germany. Located near Waldeck, it serves hydroelectric power generation and water regulation for Weser River shipping.

During dry summers, remnants of Asel, Bringhausen, and Berich, submerged when the reservoir was filled in 1914, become visible, allowing descendants to visit ancestral graves.

The dam was breached by bouncing bombs dropped by British No. 617 Squadron RAF. A 70-meter-wide, 22-meter-deep gap unleashed a massive flood, reaching 30 km downstream and killing about 70 people.

Rebuilt within months by forced labor under Organisation Todt, the dam remains Germany’s third-largest reservoir, holding 199.3 million m³, and is a major recreation site.

The 1955 film The Dam Busters and 2003 game Call of Duty feature the attack.

There's a memorial plaque for the forced labourers who had to rebuild the dam in 1943.

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Source

• Text: TracesofWar
• Photos: Arjan Vrieze