Pilchowice Dam

The Pilchowice Dam is Poland's tallest stone and arch dam: 62 m high and 290 m long at the crest. When it opened in 1912, it was the largest stone-and-concrete dam in Europe. Autumn 2026, however, is an unusual time to visit – because of renovation work, Lake Pilchowice has been completely drained and the road across the dam crest is closed.

A response to the flood of 1897

The decision to build a dam on the Bóbr (Bober) river was taken on 3 July 1900, after a great flood in 1897. Work began in 1902: first a diversion tunnel 9 m wide and 383 m long was dug to carry the river away from the site. The foundation stone was laid on 20 June 1908. The dam was built by B. Liebold & Co. to a design by Professor Otto Intze and Dr Curt Bachmann. The wall is 50 m thick at the base and 7 m at the crest. The opening ceremony on 16 November 1912 was attended by Kaiser Wilhelm II.

The reservoir – Lake Pilchowice – is about 7 km long, with an area of 240 ha and a capacity of 50 million m³. Since the dam was built, floods in the Bóbr valley have occurred only a few times, including in 1997 and 2024. A hydroelectric power station operates at the foot of the dam; after modernisation in 2013 its output rose from 7.5 to 13.364 MW.

Renovation 2026–2028

During the 2024 flood, water spilled over the dam crest, showing that the century-old structure needed a thorough overhaul. The work, costing about PLN 100 million, covers the dam and all associated infrastructure. The water was let out gradually from February 2026, and in summer the reservoir was drained completely – for the first time in half a century. This was accompanied by an ecological disaster: 15 tonnes of dead fish were removed. The lake is to stay empty at least until the end of January 2027, and refilling is planned for March 2028. The road over the dam crest is closed, with traffic diverted via Pokrzywnik.

The railway bridge over the lake

Near the village of Strzyżowiec, a steel bridge carries the Jelenia Góra – Żagań railway, known as the Bóbr Valley Railway, across the reservoir. Sources differ on when it was built (1905–1906 or 1909) and how long it is (about 132 or about 152 m). The bridge stands some 40 m above the bottom of the reservoir; at first it spanned a dry valley, flooded only after the dam opened. It was damaged in an attempt to blow it up in 1945, and traffic resumed in 1946. Since the end of 2016 the line has had no scheduled services. In 2020 there was a public outcry over plans to blow up the bridge for the film "Mission: Impossible 7" – after protests, proceedings were opened to list it as a historic monument, and the bridge still stands.

Interesting facts

The dam and its surroundings were recreated in the video game "The Vanishing of Ethan Carter", and the power-station buildings played a psychiatric hospital in the TV series "Wzgórze psów" (Dog Hill). The railway bridge appears in the films "Skąpani w ogniu" (1963) and "Kocham kino" (1987).

Tripto tip

Until spring 2028 you will not see the classic view of the lake's surface – instead, the exposed bed of the reservoir. Walking on the lake bed has become a weekend outing, but the ground is unstable and dangerous: view it from safe viewpoints and keep out of the construction site. Before you go, check the latest notices on access around the dam, and if you are driving, allow for the detour via Pokrzywnik.