Pilchowickie Lake
Pilchowice Lake is the largest lake in the Bóbr Valley, measuring 4 km in length and 300-400 m in width. It can hold up to 54 million tons of water. But in 1997, it wasn’t enough, and the water overflowed through the dam’s crest.
Dam in Pilchowice
The dam was built after a series of catastrophic floods at the end of the 19th century. It has a length of 280 meters and a height of 62 meters, making it the largest stone hydrotechnical structure in Poland. It still serves a flood control function to this day. Below the dam, there is also a hydroelectric power plant with a capacity of over 13,364 MW.
It was designed in 1902, and the construction took 10 years. Specifically for this construction, a railway line was built through the mountains, and the flow of the Bóbr River was altered so that, during the construction, it flowed through a tunnel carved into the rock. The foundation stone was personally laid by Emperor Wilhelm II. A monument in his honour with a description of the investment and the figures of the builders was erected on the dam crest. Today, there is no trace of them; only the pedestal remains.
In 1945, the SS mined the dam with the intention of blowing it up and flooding Wleń and several other villages. The creator of the dam, Engineer Bachmann, opposed this.
Walking on the dam’s crest is free of charge, and there are no fees for visiting.
The railway bridge over the Pilchowice Lake
The structure is located near the dam, not far from the village of Strzyżowiec. It was opened in 1906 and currently, the bridge carries an inactive railway line No. 283.
It rises about 40 metres above the bottom of the reservoir and 20 metres above the water level. It is 130 metres long. It is one of the tallest bridges in Poland. When it was put into use, it passed over dry land, which was flooded only after the construction of the stone dam.
In 1945, retreating German forces made an unsuccessful attempt to blow up the bridge. Railway traffic was resumed in 1946.
Iin 2020, there were reports about plans to use the bridge in the filming of “Mission: Impossible 7.” In the filmmakers’ plans, there were scenes intended to depict the bridge being blown up. The situation sparked significant opposition and controversy. In the end, the producers abandoned their plans. The structure has been entered into the register of monuments.
Trip to the railway bridge
From the car park in front of the dam, we drive another two kilometers along the shore of the lake. On the left side, from the tunnel at Mount Czyżyk, the tracks of the disused railway line emerge. Soon, we will reach the picturesque Pilchowice Zapora railway station, where the railway line crosses the bay of the lake on a steel viaduct, the largest in the Sudetes.
Near the Pilchowice Zapora station, there is a water sports equipment rental.
The Pilchowice Dam is located in the Bóbr Valley Landscape Park.
