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vací štola. English text:
The Breached Dam is 100 years old
This year, one hundred years will have passed since the
catastrophe on the White Desná caused by the breach in
the former dam which occurred on 18th September 1916. For 67 people, this meant the loss of that which is most
valuable, while the survivors suff ered great hardship
and the prospering town experienced a fatal disaster. This catastrophe infl uenced the construction of similar
hydro-engineering structures for decades to come. The
reservoir is unique in Europe: it is the only earth dam in
Europe to have breached for technical reasons. (PHOTO
1) The dam served its original purpose for a mere 10
months and the reservoir did not even have time to
completely fi ll (it was only approximately ¾ full at the
time of the catastrophe). However, it has now been
a hiking destination for a full 100 years. The “Renewal of the Breached Dam Cultural Heritage
Site” project was established in 2013 at the instigation
of Mr Jaroslav Zeman, a senator in the Parliament of
the Czech Republic and the Mayor of the Municipality
of Albrechtice v Jizerských horách, with the aim of
supporting tourism. The Town of Desná joined this
initiative and it was also supported by the entire Tanvald
Micro-Region. The Czech Forest Company (Lesy ČR),
the Elbe Catchment Board and the Nature Reserve
The Breached Dam is 100 years old
contributed to its realisation. The goal of the project
was to rid the Breached Dam of self-seeded trees and
in doing so to open up an unrepeatable view of the
remains of the former dam. (PHOTO 2) Other work
involved the reinforcement of the stone sections, the
installation of information signs, the construction of
a safe new footbridge across the White Desná and also
a shelter for walkers at the site where the Krömer Hut
once stood. (PHOTO 3, 4) Footpaths have been created
along the dam and an educational trail has been
established. It leads from Desná to the Breached Dam
area. A wooden bell tower was installed in the centre
of town (created within the framework of the Desná
wood carving festival) with a mark indicating how
high the water rose at the time of the catastrophe and
a sign pointing towards the educational trail. (PHOTO
5) The trail includes information panels at staggered
intervals with texts in four languages (Czech, German,
Polish and English). The educational trail leads from the
centre of Desná along the road to the boulder with the
memorial plaque in Desná I, behind the kindergarten
in Malá Strana, back to the road in front of the bus
turning point and up to the former water treatment
plant and then upstream to the area of the Breached
Dam. The fi rst information panel is therefore in the
centre of the town at the beginning of the educational
trail. It acquaints walkers with the tragedy on the White
Desná in brief: in words and photographs. The second
panel is located behind the kindergarten and visitors
can view period photographs of the buildings after
the tragedy along with explanatory notes on it. The
third information panel has been installed behind the
bridge (before the return to the road) and it provides
information on the cascades in the White Desná in the
form of photographic documentation and a short text. The fourth panel is located at the bus turning point and
it provides information about a further point of interest
which connects Desná and Albrechtice: the Marian
Stairs (Mariánské schody). The next section of the trail
(between the former water treatment plant and the
Breached Dam) includes 3 prepared rest places with
views of the wild river bed and the option of testing your knowledge of the local fl ora and fauna via the interactive
educational signs installed by the Czech Forest Company. (PHOTO 6) The “technical” educational trail with
information signs provided by the Elbe Catchment Board
will be established directly in the area of the reservoir. The program for the renewal of this cultural monument
and its immediate environs is in accordance with the
long-term program for the development of tourism
in the Tanvald Micro-Region and the development of
tourism in the Liberec Region. The project is intended
to make the aforementioned locality more attractive
and to increase tourist interest in this part of the Jizera
Mountains. Celebrations will be held at the Breached
Dam on Sunday, 18th September 2016. They will
recall the unhappy event, but at the same time will
also become an opportunity for the offi cial opening
of the facility as a signifi cant tourist destination. This
will include a mass for the departed, the consecration
of a monument to the victims, but also a number of
other activities. The Breached Dam need not only be
a sad memento, but its area is also expected to become
a popular tourist destination, a meeting place and
a place for rest and quiet refl ection. Dana Nývltová
The Breached Dam – the historical context

The reservoir on the White Desná (nowadays known
as the Breached Dam area) was built together with the
Souš Valley Reservoir as part of a hydro-engineering
system. The design project was drawn up at the
instigation of the Water Cooperative in Dolní Polubný
with the participation of Professor Dr Otto Intze. The
design engineer was Ing. Wilhelm Plenkner. Construction
commenced on 17th October 1911, less than two months
after the commencement of the construction on the
Souš Reservoir. Both hydro-engineering structures were
connected by a 1104.8 m long tunnel with a longitudinal
gradient of 1%0
. It was supposed to be used to transfer
water from the reservoir on the White Desná to the Souš
Reservoir. Both reservoirs were given fi nal approval for
use on the same day – 18th November 1915. The dam
on the White Desná breached exactly ten months later. The volume of water in the reservoir was 290,000 m3
,
meaning that it was up to three-quarters full (its total
capacity was supposed to be 400,000 m3
). The fi rst leak was noticed at 3:30 pm on 18.9.1916
(about a two centimetre trickle). By 3:55 pm, the water
was already pouring through strongly. At 4:15 pm, the
tiles on the upstream side began to subside and the
dam breached completely at 4:45 pm. The water gushed
down a 40 m wide rift and took everything in its path
with it. The dam lies in the cadastral territory of the
Municipality of Albrechtice v Jizerských horách, but the
consequences of the breach were mainly catastrophic for
the area of what is now Desná I. The reservoir’s planned technical parameters:
» The dam: an earth dam, width at the base: 54 m,
height above the terrain: 14.6 m, width at the crown:
5.2 m with an elevation of 1.6 m above the highest
water level in the reservoir.
» The reservoir volume: 400,000 m³
Note! It is prohibited to ride motorcycles to the Breached Dam. Likewise, it is also prohibited to stop or park your vehicle
anywhere in the 1st Protection Zone of the Souš Water
Reservoir (in accordance with the “Water Act”). This is
apparent from the traffi c signs placed throughout the
entire section from Souš to the intersection with the
Barracks Trail (Kasárenská cesta). www.mesto-desna.cz