Like the Biggesee, the Möhnesee and the Versetalsperre, the Sorpetalsperre is a reservoir located in the eastern Hochsauerland in the north of the Homert Nature Park in North Rhine-Westphalia (Germany) and is one of the largest reservoirs of the Ruhrverband
.as one of eight reservoirs in the Sauerland, it is also the deepest and has excellent water quality. Lake Sorpesee is nestled in the idyllic Sauerland landscape between the districts of Langscheid and Amecke and is considered by many locals and visitors to be the most beautiful lake in the region.
built between 1926 and 1935, the Sorpetalsperre was considered the largest construction site in Europe at the time. An earth dam with a 69-metre-high concrete core wall was built for the first time for the barrier structure and was the highest dam in Germany at the time. In November 1934, the gates for the final dam were closed and the Sorpetalsperre dam was put into operation. The increased demand for water and repeated dry periods were the reason for this measure and since then the Sorpesee, with its reservoir capacity of 70 million m3, has not only served as a power and water supply for the Sauerland and the Ruhrgebiet, but also as a recreational area for locals and visitors alike.
9 km of roads had to be built to replace the dammed roads. As the Sorpetal was only sparsely populated, only a few people and farms had to be relocated
, and a diversion system was built from 1957 to 1960. This diverted water from the neighboring valleys to the east of the Sorpe into the dam. This increased the capacity and accelerated the refilling process. When the Sorpetalsperre was completely emptied in 1959 to repair war damage, this led to considerable restrictions in the water supply. In the same year, one of the biggest droughts of the century hit the Sauerland. After refilling in 1961, the dam was once again fully available for water management. In 1963, the reservoir was raised by 60 cm, increasing its capacity to 70 million square meters.
Today, the Sorpesee is just as popular as a local recreation area for locals and guests from the Ruhrgebiet and the Netherlands as it is for vacations for guests from all over Europe. In addition to the wide range of leisure and sports activities such as swimming, rowing, sailing, surfing, beach volleyball, fishing and hiking, its particular appeal lies in the promenade in Langscheid, which was redesigned in 2009, and the "Airlebnisweg" circular trail in Amecke, which opened in 2015.
the passenger boat "MS Sorpesee" is available for excursions during the tourist season between Good Friday and the end of October. For the safety of bathers, there are 4 DLRG stations on the adjacent campsites; at the preliminary basin (DLRG OG Amecke), campsite 3 (DLRG OG Arnsberg), campsite 2 (DLRG OG Sundern) and at the lido (DLRG OG Langscheid); as well as a DRK station on campsite 3.
visit us at the Sorpesee and enjoy relaxing hours in the incomparably beautiful nature. We look forward to seeing you!
Key data for Lake Sorpesee:
Length 8.5 km
Reservoir capacity 70 million m³
of which 1.5 million m³ in the forebay
Reservoir level 283.03 m above
.
NN 283.03 mCatchment
areaSorpe
52.7 km²
Discharges 47.6 km²
Total 100.3 km²Data
on the structureConstruction period
1926 -1935
Greatest height above the valley floor 60 m
Greatest height above the foundation floor 69 m
Height of the dam crest 285 m above sea level.NN
Dam capacity around 3.25 million m³
Crest length 700m
Largest base width 307 m
Crest width 10 m
Power plant capacity 7.44MW
Water surface at full impoundment 3.30 km²
Reservoir capacity of the equalizing pond 0.374 million
m³
Reservoir capacity of the equalizing pond 224.43 m above sea level Further
information on the Sorpesee can be obtained from the Ruhrverband at http://www.ruhrverband.de/ . If you are interested in a guided tour of the dam, you will find all the information you need on the homepage at Sorpetalsperre.
contact person for tours is Jutta Schulze, telephone 02924 9704-33.