Vidraru Dam

Vidraru Dam is a monumental hydraulic engineering structure located on the Argeș River, in the gorge between the Făgăraș Mountains and the Ghițu Mountains, on the territory of Arefu commune, Argeș County, approximately 27 km north-west of Curtea de Argeș. Built between 1960 and 1966 through enormous effort — thousands of workers, tens of kilometres of underground tunnels, and hundreds of thousands of cubic metres of concrete poured under the harsh conditions of the Făgăraș Mountains — the dam was, at the time of its inauguration, the fifth-highest arch dam in Europe and the ninth in the world. The double-arch concrete structure stands 166.6 metres tall, has a crest length of approximately 307 metres, and a thickness that varies from 25 metres at the base to just 6 metres at the top, resting against the slopes of the Pleașa and Vidraru mountains. Upstream, the dam created Lake Vidraru, a vast reservoir situated at approximately 830 metres altitude, formed at the confluence of the Argeș River with the Capra and Buda rivers. With a volume of approximately 465 million cubic metres, Vidraru is the second-largest reservoir by volume in Romania, after Izvorul Muntelui (Bicaz). The lake extends over several kilometres in length, covers an area of nearly 900 hectares, and reaches a maximum depth of approximately 155 metres near the dam — earning it the nickname "the sea in the mountains" for its vast expanse and beauty. The complex powers the Vidraru hydroelectric plant, with an installed capacity of 220 MW, whose main chamber is carved into the rock, more than 100 metres beneath the mountain massif — a rare feat of engineering. On the bank of the dam stands a monumental statue of Prometheus, entitled "Energia" (Energy), the work of sculptor Constantin Popovici, erected as a symbol of electricity. Today, Vidraru is one of the most visited attractions in the Carpathians, its fame further enhanced by the construction of the Transfăgărășan highway (DN7C), which crosses the dam's crest in spectacular fashion, as well as by its proximity to Cetatea Poenari, a fortress linked by tradition to the ruler Vlad Țepeș.