10 Dams to Explore in Switzerland

The world's highest gravity dam which was Situated at the head of the Val des Dix. The dam is 200 meters wide at its base. At the top, it «slims down» to just 15 meters. The Grande Dixence dam is open to the public from mid-June to the end of September. The dam is a visitor attraction and also the starting point for mountain hikes. Guided tours with slide shows and films take place in the interior of the dam. A cable car carries visitors up from the car park and bus terminus to the top of the Di

The Lac d’Emosson reservoir, altitude 1930 metres, was created at the beginning of the 1920s by the construction of a 78 m-high gravity dam built by the SBB with the aim of covering the company’s power requirements. In 1974 this was extended with a 180 m-high arch dam, increasing the lake volume from 40 to 227 million m3 of water. The Lac d’Emosson was created to cover SBB power requirements. The lake is reached by three unusual railways. Dinosaur footprints, some 250 million years old are found

Lac de Moiry is a reservoir in the municipality of Grimentz, Switzerland. The lake has a surface area of 1.40 km² and an elevation of 2,249 m. The maximum depth is 120 m. The dam is 148 m high and was completed in 1958. One of the architectural wonders in this area and it attracts a lot of tourists here.

Lago del Narèt is a high mountain lake in Val Sambuco, Ticino. The interesting feature of this lake is that it is not a naturally arising mountain lake, but a reservoir, formed in 1970 by the construction of two dams around the area. Several mountain streams flow into this lake, which in turn join the River Maggia. It can be easily accessed through the various hiking trails nearby and also offers outstanding views of the Lago del Sambuco and the top section including the dam itself.

Lago del Sambuco is a reservoir above Fusio, in the municipality of Lavizzara, Ticino, Switzerland. Its surface area is 1.11 km². The dam of Sambuco on the Maggia River was completed in 1956. Its maximum height is 130 m and length 363 m. The dam can be crossed on foot, then there is a mountain trail to the foot of the dam and on the other side back to the starting point.

Lago di Lei is a reservoir in the Valle di Lei. The lake is almost entirely located in Italy, but the barrage was built on territory later assigned to Switzerland. The dam is operated by Kraftwerke Hinterrhein. The waters of the lake are the only waters in Italian territory which end up in the North Sea, being part of the Rhine's drainage basin.

Lake Livigno is an artificial reservoir born after the Gallo dam, built by the Swiss hydroelectric company Engadiner Kraftwerke AG in the years 1965 - 1968 to produce electricity. The lake is therefore located on the swiss and Italian border. it was one of the famous tourist destinations because of its architectural intelligence.

Lago di Vogorno is a reservoir near Tenero, in Ticino, Switzerland. The reservoir on the Verzasca river is formed by the Verzasca Dam, built 1961–1965. The water surface area is 1.68 km2. It was one of the architectural wonders in this area and it attracts a lot of tourists here.

The Mattmark dam, the biggest earthen dam in Europe, lies south of the Saas Valley. The reservoir, used for generating electricity, is a popular destination with visitors interested in learning technical details of its operation and who love its wild, romantic location. The lake lies at a height of 2,197 metres above sea level, between the massifs of the Rimpfischhorn and Stellihorn. The highest peak visible from the lake is the Strahlhorn

The Contra Dam, commonly known as the Verzasca Dam is an arch dam on the Verzasca River in the Val Verzasca, Ticino Switzerland. The dam became a popular bungee jumping venue after a James Bond stuntman jumped off it in the opening scene of the 1995 film GoldenEye; a stunt voted as the best movie stunt of all time in a 2002 Sky Movies poll.