About Eibenstock Dam

The Talsperre Eibenstock in the Erzgebirge mountains of Saxony holds 76.4 million cubic metres of water and is the largest reservoir in the Saxon Water Management system. Completed in 1975, the 63-metre concrete-faced rockfill dam impounds the Zwickauer Mulde river near the town of Eibenstock in the Erzgebirge district. The reservoir was constructed primarily to supply drinking water to the Zwickau, Karl-Marx-Stadt (now Chemnitz), and Plauen urban areas in the heavily industrialised Saxon lowlands. During the GDR era it also served as a strategic water reserve for the textile and metalworking industries in the Erzgebirge foothill towns. Today the Talsperre Eibenstock is operated by the Landestalsperrenverwaltung des Freistaates Sachsen (LTV) and forms the cornerstone of the Zwickau regional water supply grid, which distributes treated water to more than 600,000 consumers. The surrounding Erzgebirge landscape is characterised by high moorland plateaus, spruce and beech forests, and traditional mining heritage. Recreational activities including hiking and fishing are permitted in designated areas. The reservoir's exposed upland catchment makes it particularly sensitive to forest dieback — a significant management challenge given the ongoing bark beetle epidemic that has affected large parts of the Saxon Erzgebirge.