The Schluchsee from a bird's-eye view

The Schluchsee, as the largest lake in Baden-Württemberg, surrounded by magnificent forests, is a popular attraction for hikers and other recreational athletes. The originally unregulated glacial lake was about 30 meters lower than today's lake level. The lake is now 7.3 by 1.4 kilometers in size and has a maximum depth of 61 m. Despite the damming of the Schwarza River, the Schluchsee appears natural. The Schluchsee is part of the Schluchsee works group of the Schluchsee power plant, a sequence of various reservoirs at different heights, connected by pump stations. The works group extends from Häusern to Waldshut. The Schluchsee is the upper basin of the Häusern pumped-storage power station. The average power output at the Häusern power plant is 100 megawatts. Through the pump stations, the lake is filled not only with water from the Schwarza but also with Rhine water. The Schluchsee, with its reservoir level of 930 meters above sea level, is the highest dam in Germany. The 63.5 m high dam was built between 1929 and 1932. To build the concrete gravity dam with high specific weight, the natural lake had to be lowered by 13 meters initially. This took place in 1930 through a gallery blasted into the rock. A dugout canoe was also found during this time, which has since been proven that the Schluchsee was already navigated around the year 650. On the western valley slope above the boat dock, granite was quarried during construction work for the intake structure. Due to its elevated location, the water remains relatively cool even in summer. The Schluchsee is especially popular for swimming and sailing. Unlike the Titisee, almost the entire Schluchsee has easily accessible shores. Therefore, the Schluchsee is very busy in summer and is considered a popular recreational destination in the surrounding area – reaching beyond the Swiss border.