Ennepe Dam Filde

In 1899, increased water demand led 52 Ennepe River factory owners to commission civil engineer Dr. Otto Intze to design a 320-meter-long dam. Construction lasted from 1902 to 1904, using Intze’s innovative wedge principle. The dam was raised 10 meters in 1912 to boost storage capacity, displacing villages like Osenberg and Bauendahl.

Second World War
On the night of 16 on 17 May 1943, during operation Chastise, a bombing raid of the RAF on German dams. With so called bouncing bombs, Guy Gibson and his squadron succeeded in breaking through two of these dams; the Möhne- and Eder dam.

The Möhne-, Eder- and Sorpedam were the main targets during Operation Chastise. However, there were also three secondary goals. These goals; Lister-, Ennepe- and Diemel were not destroyed. The airmen involved in the raid failed to locate the Ennepetal Dam and returned home.

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Source

• Text: TracesOfWar
• Photos: Willem Visser