Negovanu Reservoir

The Negovanu Reservoir is an artificial lake located in the Cindrel Mountains, in Sibiu County, in an area known as Gâtu Berbecului, within Sadu commune. The lake is part of the hydroelectric system of the Sadu River, a tributary of the Cibin, and was created by the dam of the same name, built between 1955 and 1956. It sits at an altitude of about 1,150-1,158 m, amid the terrain typical of the Cindrel Mountains. The Negovanu Dam, standing 62 meters tall, is considered Romania's first modern arched dam; its construction required 50,000 cubic meters of reinforced concrete. The lake covers 72 hectares and holds a storage volume of 6.3 million cubic meters. The water accumulated here supplies the Sadu V hydroelectric plant, with an installed capacity of 15.2-15.4 MW, commissioned in 1955 — the first hydroelectric plant built during the communist era on the Sadu Valley, home to an entire chain of five hydroelectric plants, including Sadu I (1896), the first hydroelectric plant built on present-day Romanian territory. The surrounding area is dominated by conifer forests and subalpine grasslands, home to species such as the Carpathian red deer, brown bear, and golden eagle. Near the dam stands Gâtu Berbecului Chalet, at 1,175 m altitude. It is reached through the Cindrel Mountains, with the most recommended route via Bătrâna Peak and Gâtu Berbecului, or from the town of Tălmaciu and Sadu commune, following the Sadu Valley on a partly forest road. Worth visiting for its combination of historic hydro-engineering infrastructure — among the oldest in Romania — and relatively easy access to the ridgelines of the Cindrel Mountains.