Lake Măneciu

Lake Măneciu lies on the Teleajen river in Măneciu commune, Prahova County, upstream of the village of Măneciu-Ungureni, the commune seat, in the Măneciu depression at the southern foot of the Ciucaș Mountains. The lake formed behind the Măneciu Dam and extends towards the village of Chiciureni. The Măneciu Dam is an earth dam of local materials with a central clay core, 75 m high. It was designed by the ISCPGA institute (now Aquaproiect), with the engineer Ariana Teodorescu as designer. For flood waters, a surface spillway with a capacity of 1,360 m³/s was built on the right bank. The reservoir holds about 60 million m³ and covers 192 hectares. A hydropower plant at the dam was commissioned in 1989. The lake and dam lie within the Ciucaș Natura 2000 site (ROSCI0038). The reservoir is used to manage the waters of the Teleajen: during heavy rain the authorities carry out controlled releases from the dam, as happened in June 2026. A leisure area has developed by the lake, close to the DN1A. The lake can be seen from the DN1A (Ploiești-Vălenii de Munte-Brașov), on the stretch between Măneciu and the Cheia resort. Nearby are Suzana Monastery, Cheia Monastery and the trails of the Ciucaș Mountains.