Biggesee
Encyclopedia
The Biggesee or Bigge Reservoir is a reservoir
in Germany
. It lies in the southern part of the Sauerland
between Olpe
and Attendorn
.
as well as providing water for the Ruhrgebiet. It is fed from the Bigge
, a tributary of the Lenne.
The lake serves primarily to store water
for the Ruhrgebiet so as to maintain the same level of water in the Ruhr. The lake can deliver, via the rivers Bigge and Lenne, up to 40% of all the water supplied by all the reservoirs in the river system of the Ruhr combined. A hydroelectric power station produces around 24 million kWh electricity
annually. The power of the three large and one small Francis turbine
s amounts to 17.52 MW. The owner of the lake is the Ruhrverband.
Along with the Listertalsperre, the Biggestausee forms a large reservoir system. The formerly self-standing Listertalsperre joins immediately on to the Biggesee.
In middle of the Biggesee itself is the circa 30 ha (74.1 acre) Gilberginsel which, together with the neighboring lakeshore area, forms a nature reserve
.
(parliament) of North Rhine-Westphalia passed a law for the financing of the Bigge Dam.
On 1 August 1956, the Bigge Dam Law came into force. According to this, each municipality was obliged to extract 1.2 pfennigs from every consumer of water for every m² of water they used – the so-called “Biggepfennig” – which went towards finacing the construction of the Bigge Dam.
The building of the dam began in 1956 and was finished in 1965, although the planning could be said to reach back as far as 1938. The Listertalsperre, dating from 1912, became an arm of the new reservoir. The complete system encompasses a volume of water of 172 million m³, of which the Biggesee has 150 million and the Listertalsperre 22 million. Therefore the Biggesee system is the fifth largest reservoir in Germany in terms of capacity. The catchment area of both lakes comprises an area of 289 km² (111.6 sq mi). The lakes themselves have a surface area of 8.76 km² (3.4 sq mi) with a length of ca. 20 km (12.4 mi). The deepest point of the Biggesee when the water is at its planned level is about 52 m (170.6 ft).
Around 2550 people had to be re-settled in the newly-built districts of Neu-Listernohl, Sondern-Hanemicke und Eichhagen. New construction included 4.4 km (2.7 mi) of Bundesstraße, 14.8 km (9.2 mi) Landstraße, 18.2 km (11.3 mi) of local roads and 31 km (19.3 mi) of cycle routes, making altogether 68.4 km² (26.4 sq mi) of new roads and paths. The “Bigge Valley Railway” was likewise newly laid out in the region of the lake. Building of these new traffic routes required eight large bridges and 24 smaller ones.
, and indeed to the Theme Route 12: Ruhr - Past and Present.
(KBS 442), on which the Biggesee-Express (RB 92) travels hourly from Olpe, stopping a few times close to the lakeshore, and on to Finnentrop
with a connection to the Ruhr-Sieg-Express (RE 16). In Sondern there is a lake station which allows direct transfer from the train on to a passenger ship
. This is the only lake station in North Rhine-Westphalia.
An architectural characteristic are the two multilevel bridges over two arms of the lake. The railway line runs on the lower level, with the road above. Both bridges are to be found about 1 and 1.5 Kilometers (ca 1 mi.) east of the Listertal-Staumauer.
With respect to road transport
, bus
es reach the Biggesee. The relevant operator are the VWS based in Siegen, a subsidiary of the Stadtwerke Bonn, and BRS (Busverkehr Rhein-Sieg GmbH). Apart from that, buses from the “Regionalverkehr Köln” company travel along the Biggesee.
Rail and road transport is grouped together in the Verkehrsgemeinschaft Westfalen-Süd (VGWS).
:
as well as the Bundesstraßen B 54 Hagen–Olpe–Siegen, B 55
Olpe–Lennestadt–Meschede.
Furthermore, the Landstraße 512 runs along the left bank from Olpe to Attendorn.
Reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. It lies in the southern part of the Sauerland
Sauerland
The Sauerland is a rural, hilly area spreading across most of the south-eastern part of North Rhine-Westphalia, in parts heavily forested and, apart from the major valleys, sparsely inhabited...
between Olpe
Olpe, Germany
Olpe is situated in the foothills of the Ebbegebirge in North Rhine-Westphalia, roughly 60 km east of Cologne and 20 km northwest of Siegen. It is part of the Regierungsbezirk of Arnsberg and is the seat of the district of Olpe.- Location :...
and Attendorn
Attendorn
Attendorn is a German town in the Olpe district in North Rhine-Westphalia.As of 2008 it had a population of 24, 801.- History :The town’s location was favoured by the good climate in the Attendorn-Elsper Limestone Double Basin , the fruitful soil and favourable transport potential, and was already...
.
Purpose
The lake serves to regulate the Ruhr and LenneLenne
The Lenne is a river in the Sauerland area in North Rhine-Westphalia, western Germany, a left tributary of the Ruhr.Having its source on top of the Kahler Asten near Winterberg in an intermittent spring at an elevation of 2,687 feet, the Lenne ends after a course of 128 km flowing into the...
as well as providing water for the Ruhrgebiet. It is fed from the Bigge
Bigge
Bigge is an English surname, and may refer to:* Arthur Bigge, 1st Baron Stamfordham , British officer and Royal Private Secretary* Charles William Bigge , English banker* John Bigge , English judge and royal commissioner...
, a tributary of the Lenne.
The lake serves primarily to store water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
for the Ruhrgebiet so as to maintain the same level of water in the Ruhr. The lake can deliver, via the rivers Bigge and Lenne, up to 40% of all the water supplied by all the reservoirs in the river system of the Ruhr combined. A hydroelectric power station produces around 24 million kWh electricity
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
annually. The power of the three large and one small Francis turbine
Francis turbine
The Francis turbine is a type of water turbine that was developed by James B. Francis in Lowell, Massachusetts. It is an inward-flow reaction turbine that combines radial and axial flow concepts....
s amounts to 17.52 MW. The owner of the lake is the Ruhrverband.
Along with the Listertalsperre, the Biggestausee forms a large reservoir system. The formerly self-standing Listertalsperre joins immediately on to the Biggesee.
In middle of the Biggesee itself is the circa 30 ha (74.1 acre) Gilberginsel which, together with the neighboring lakeshore area, forms a nature reserve
Nature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
.
Construction of the Bigge Dam
In 1956, the LandtagLandtag of North Rhine-Westphalia
The Landtag of North Rhine-Westphalia is the state diet of the German federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It convenes in Düsseldorf and currently consists of 181 members of five Parties...
(parliament) of North Rhine-Westphalia passed a law for the financing of the Bigge Dam.
On 1 August 1956, the Bigge Dam Law came into force. According to this, each municipality was obliged to extract 1.2 pfennigs from every consumer of water for every m² of water they used – the so-called “Biggepfennig” – which went towards finacing the construction of the Bigge Dam.
The building of the dam began in 1956 and was finished in 1965, although the planning could be said to reach back as far as 1938. The Listertalsperre, dating from 1912, became an arm of the new reservoir. The complete system encompasses a volume of water of 172 million m³, of which the Biggesee has 150 million and the Listertalsperre 22 million. Therefore the Biggesee system is the fifth largest reservoir in Germany in terms of capacity. The catchment area of both lakes comprises an area of 289 km² (111.6 sq mi). The lakes themselves have a surface area of 8.76 km² (3.4 sq mi) with a length of ca. 20 km (12.4 mi). The deepest point of the Biggesee when the water is at its planned level is about 52 m (170.6 ft).
Around 2550 people had to be re-settled in the newly-built districts of Neu-Listernohl, Sondern-Hanemicke und Eichhagen. New construction included 4.4 km (2.7 mi) of Bundesstraße, 14.8 km (9.2 mi) Landstraße, 18.2 km (11.3 mi) of local roads and 31 km (19.3 mi) of cycle routes, making altogether 68.4 km² (26.4 sq mi) of new roads and paths. The “Bigge Valley Railway” was likewise newly laid out in the region of the lake. Building of these new traffic routes required eight large bridges and 24 smaller ones.
Tourism
Over the years, the lakes have become a tourist magnet. Apart from the possibilities for water sports (sailing, surfing, rowing, canoeing, fishing and diving), two passenger ships ply the lake at the moment. Previously there had been four - three on the main lake and a canal boat on the upper reservoir. There are two official diving areas, the Weuste and the Kraghammer Sattel, as well as a diving school in the camping area at “Sonderner Kopf”. Additionally, there numerous cycle and hiking routes round the lake and its environs. These are especially well-used during the summer. Many holidaymakers move their quarters around the different camping sites along the lake. The Bigge Dam belongs to The Industrial Heritage TrailThe Industrial Heritage Trail
The Industrial Heritage Trail links tourist attractions related to the industrial heritage in the Ruhr area in Germany. It is a part of the European Route of Industrial Heritage.-The route:...
, and indeed to the Theme Route 12: Ruhr - Past and Present.
Rail and bus
The Biggesee lies on the single-line Bigge Valley RailwayBigge Valley Railway
The Bigge Valley Railway is a 24 kilometre long, single-tracked branch line from Finnentrop via Attendorn and Olpe to Freudenberg in western Germany. It is not electrified and the section of line from Olpe to Freudenberg is now closed. The section between Olpe and Finnentrop is regularly...
(KBS 442), on which the Biggesee-Express (RB 92) travels hourly from Olpe, stopping a few times close to the lakeshore, and on to Finnentrop
Finnentrop
Finnentrop is a community in Olpe district in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.- Geography :Finnentrop lies near the forks of the rivers Bigge and Lenne in the Sauerland and is divided into the following constituent communities:- History :...
with a connection to the Ruhr-Sieg-Express (RE 16). In Sondern there is a lake station which allows direct transfer from the train on to a passenger ship
Passenger ship
A passenger ship is a ship whose primary function is to carry passengers. The category does not include cargo vessels which have accommodations for limited numbers of passengers, such as the ubiquitous twelve-passenger freighters once common on the seas in which the transport of passengers is...
. This is the only lake station in North Rhine-Westphalia.
An architectural characteristic are the two multilevel bridges over two arms of the lake. The railway line runs on the lower level, with the road above. Both bridges are to be found about 1 and 1.5 Kilometers (ca 1 mi.) east of the Listertal-Staumauer.
With respect to road transport
Public transport
Public transport is a shared passenger transportation service which is available for use by the general public, as distinct from modes such as taxicab, car pooling or hired buses which are not shared by strangers without private arrangement.Public transport modes include buses, trolleybuses, trams...
, bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
es reach the Biggesee. The relevant operator are the VWS based in Siegen, a subsidiary of the Stadtwerke Bonn, and BRS (Busverkehr Rhein-Sieg GmbH). Apart from that, buses from the “Regionalverkehr Köln” company travel along the Biggesee.
Rail and road transport is grouped together in the Verkehrsgemeinschaft Westfalen-Süd (VGWS).
Roads
The Biggesee can be reached by two federal motorwaysGerman Autobahnen
The German autobahns are the nationally coordinated motorway system in Germany. In German, they are officially called Bundesautobahn , which translates as federal expressways...
:
- the A 4 (E 40European route E40European route E 40 is the longest European route, more than long, connecting Calais in France via Belgium, Germany, Poland, Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Kyrgyzstan, with Ridder in Kazakhstan near the border to China....
) AachenAachenAachen has historically been a spa town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Aachen was a favoured residence of Charlemagne, and the place of coronation of the Kings of Germany. Geographically, Aachen is the westernmost town of Germany, located along its borders with Belgium and the Netherlands, ...
– GörlitzGörlitzGörlitz is a town in Germany. It is the easternmost town in the country, located on the Lusatian Neisse River in the Bundesland of Saxony. It is opposite the Polish town of Zgorzelec, which was a part of Görlitz until 1945. Historically, Görlitz was in the region of Upper Lusatia...
. Connection: Wenden (autobahn junction Olpe-Süd) and - the A 45 (Sauerlandlinie)Bundesautobahn 45is an autobahn in Germany, connecting Dortmund in the west with Aschaffenburg in the southwest. It is colloquially known by its byname Sauerlandlinie, which derives from the Sauerland, the landscape which said autobahn is running through between the cities of Hagen and Siegen. Many people think of...
(E 41European route E41European route E 41 is a European route. Its route is Dortmund - Hagen - Olpe - Siegen - Wetzlar - Hanau - Aschaffenburg - Würzburg - Heilbronn - Stuttgart - Böblingen - Herrenberg - Villingen-Schwenningen - Bad Dürrheim - Singen - Schaffhausen - Winterthur - Zürich - Schwyz - Altdorf....
) DortmundDortmundDortmund is a city in Germany. It is located in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr area. Its population of 585,045 makes it the 7th largest city in Germany and the 34th largest in the European Union....
–AschaffenburgAschaffenburgAschaffenburg is a city in northwest Bavaria, Germany. The town of Aschaffenburg is not considered part of the district of Aschaffenburg, but is the administrative seat.Aschaffenburg is known as the Tor zum Spessart or "gate to the Spessart"...
. Connection: (18) Olpe, (17) Drolshagen und (16) Meinerzhagen
as well as the Bundesstraßen B 54 Hagen–Olpe–Siegen, B 55
Bundesstraße 55
The Bundesstraße 55 is a Bundesstraße road in Germany, connecting Jülich with Rheda-Wiedenbrück via Cologne, Gummersbach, Olpe and Meschede....
Olpe–Lennestadt–Meschede.
Furthermore, the Landstraße 512 runs along the left bank from Olpe to Attendorn.
Cruises
You can cruise on the Biggesee. From April to the end of October, two ships of the Personenschifffahrt Biggesee ply the lake. A round trip takes ca. 2 hours. There are five landing stages.Cycle tracks
There is an extensive cycle track network around the Biggesee and the Listertalsperre.Walking routes
There is a variety of marked walking routes around the lakes, IVV-round routes in Olpe.External links
- Der Biggesee, Ruhrverband
- Stauanlagenverzeichnis NRW