5 Dams to Explore in France

Checkout places to visit in France

France

France, including its overseas territories, has the most number of time zones with a total of 12 time zones. France has long been a global center of art, science, and philosophy. It hosts the world's fourth-largest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites and is the leading tourist destination, receiving around 83 million foreign visitors annually.

Activities Around

Dams to Explore in France

Barrage Vauban

The Barrage Vauban is a bridge, weir and defensive work erected in the 17th century on the River Ill in the city of Strasbourg in France which was constructed from 1686 to 1690 in pink Vosges sandstone by the French Engineer Jacques Tarade according to plans by Vauban. The barrage has 13 arches and is 120 meters in length. Today the grand lock, with its 13 arches, magnificent sculptures, and grass-topped terrace, is among the city’s most recognizable landmarks.

Lac de Pannecière

The Lake Pannecière or reservoir-lake Pannecière-Chaumard is an artificial lake located in the department of Nièvre in Burgundy, Franche-Comté, in the western part of the natural region of Morvan. Its surface area is 520 hectares, with a capacity of 82.5 hm . It is located at the confluence of the Yonne and the Houssière. It is thus both the oldest and the smallest of the great lakes of the Seine and the largest and one of the most recent great lakes of the Morvan.

Lac de Vouglans

The Lac de Vouglans is the reservoir of the hydro-electric power station at Vouglans on the River Ain in the département of Jura in the region of Franche-Comté in eastern France. The lake lies on Jurassic rock crushed into the north to south ridges by the Alpine orogeny. The lake is arranged for tourism with view-points scattered through the woods which cover the hillsides along its shores and places set up for bathing and boating.

Lac des Settons

Lac des Settons is a reservoir in Nièvre, France, with a surface area of 3.67 km2. It is supplied mainly by the River Cure and is situated at the heart of the Morvan Regional Natural Park, in Nièvre. The lake is found south of the town Montsauche-Les-Suttons. It is one of the Great Lakes of the Morvan. The dam became a listed site in 1937. The lake then became a popular leisure destination. In 1956 the first camping site opened for business, whilst the hotels increased in number.

Petit-Saut Dam

The Petit-Saut Dam is a gravity dam on the Sinnamary River about 36 km south of Sinnamary in French Guiana. The primary purpose of the dam is to produce hydroelectric power and it supports a 116 MW power station. It was one of the main power stations in this area and is owned by Électricité de France. It is also one of the main water sources of this area and is now a tourist attraction too.

Map of Dams to explore in France