Reservoir with numerous leisure activities in the north of the Sauerland
In 1927, the Ruhrtalsperrenverein took over the Henne dam, which the "Talsperrengenossenschaft der oberen Ruhr" had built on the Henne in 1901/05.
The dam, with its 38 metre high quarry stone wall, held back eleven million cubic metres of water. However, it had to be decommissioned in 1949 for safety reasons and was replaced between 1950 and 1955 by the new Henne dam with a storage capacity of 38.4 million cubic metres. The Henne Dam is used to secure the water supply, for flood protection, to generate energy from hydropower and for recreational purposes. There are two bathing areas in the main reservoir and another in the Mielinghausen reservoir, as well as a diving area with a maximum diving depth of more than 30 metres. Several rowing and sailing clubs are based at the Henne Dam.
As part of the Regionale 2013, the Henne Dam underwent extensive construction and renaturalisation measures. One important project was the renaturation of the Henne below the Henne Dam and the connection of the dam to the city centre via the so-called Henne Boulevard. 2015 saw the opening of the so-called Himmelstreppe, whose 333 steel steps overcome the 60-metre height difference between the foot of the dam and the dam crest and lead to a cantilevered viewing platform of around eight metres.
Since June 2016, the Henne Dam has also been used for the local drinking water supply. In a waterworks built by Hochsauerlandwasser GmbH directly below the dam, the water taken directly from the Henne dam is treated to produce drinking water and fed into the supply network.
Tasks and function
During our tours, you will learn interesting facts about the construction, water supply and operation of our dams.
The power plant at the Henne dam is operated by Lister- und Lennekraftwerke GmbH in Olpe, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Ruhrverband.
The Henne Dam offers numerous opportunities to spend your leisure time actively or relaxing. Whether fishing, cycling or diving - discover the various sports and leisure activities on offer.
Sport & Leisure
Lake Henne is located above the district town of Meschede and covers an area of 210 hectares. It stretches over a length of 6 km and is up to 1,000 metres wide. The maximum water depth is 51 metres.
You can find more detailed information about fishing at the Hennetalsperre on our fishing website at
Hennesee - Angling in Sauerland
Our leisure map provides you with an overview of the designated bathing areas at the Hennetalsperre. The North Rhine-Westphalia State Agency for Nature, Environment and Consumer Protection (LANUV) also provides an overview of the designated bathing areas in NRW in accordance with the EC Bathing Water Directive in an interactive map.
Outside of the designated bathing areas, bathing is prohibited in the Ruhrverband reservoirs.
In the summer months, various passenger boats on the Hennesee invite you to go on excursions.
Using rowing boats, canoes or inflatable boats on the Hennetalsperre falls under public use and can therefore be practised free of charge. Various clubs have established themselves on the Hennesee, where further information on water sports activities can be obtained:
The following sailing clubs and schools are based at the Hennetalsperre:
Sale of boat licences
Meschede Tourist Information Centre
Gasthof Kotthoff-Gerwens,
Immenhausen 10, 59872 Meschede
Sailing clubs
The diving area of the Hennetalsperre is located on the western shore next to the small marina. Diving is organised by the DLRG rescue station in Berghauser Bucht. Permits are issued by the station after prior registration, stating the number of divers, club membership, a telephone number and an exact date.
Registration (also possible online)
Berghauser Bucht lifeguard station,
Tel. 0291 8991 (answering machine)
History
History
In 1927, the Ruhrtalsperrenverein took over a dam built on the Henne between 1901 and 1905 by the "Talsperrengenossenschaft der Oberen Ruhr".
The dam dammed eleven million cubic metres of water with a 38-metre-high quarry stone wall. However, it had to be decommissioned in 1949 because the subsoil of the dam wall had become permeable over the decades due to leaching of the limestone inclusions.
The new dam, which was built between 1950 and 1955, had a rockfill dam with a two-layer surface seal made of asphalt concrete. The two asphalt concrete layers are separated by a drainage layer of bituminised gravel.
The drainage layer is divided into 10 metre wide fields in the direction of the fall line by asphalt bars, which are connected to the inspection corridor via drainage pipes. This allows any damage to the upper sealing layer to be quickly recognised and roughly localised by water leaks in the inspection corridor.
In order to increase the annual capacity of the Henne Dam, the Ruhrverband built a bypass system between 1955 and 1957 to supply water from the neighbouring valleys to the east of the dam. The average annual inflow of around 24 million cubic metres improves the capacity of the dam considerably.
As part of the Regionale 2013, extensive construction and renaturalisation measures were carried out at the Henne dam. One important project was the renaturation of the Henne below the Henne Dam and the connection of the dam to the city centre via the so-called Henne Boulevard.
The stairway to heaven was opened in 2015, with 333 steel steps overcoming the 60 metre difference in height between the base and top of the dam and ending in a cantilevered viewing platform of around eight metres.
In 2016, Hochsauerlandwasser GmbH commissioned a newly built waterworks below the main dam. The raw water is taken directly from the bottom outlets of the Henne dam and fed into the supply network after being treated to produce drinking water.
