Vermunt Stausee

The Vermuntsee is a mountain lake in the Montafon valley in the Austrian province of Vorarlberg. It sits at 1,743 metres above sea level, surrounded by the glaciated Litzner-Seehorn group to the south, the Kresperspitze massif to the east and the Hochmaderer to the west. The Silvretta High Alpine Road runs along its eastern shore, linking the valley to the Silvretta range. The lake stores water for the Vermunt power station and serves as the lower reservoir for the newer Obervermuntwerk II. Water from the Ill, Kromerbach and Bieltalbach rivers reaches the lake, along with diverted streams from the Vallüla, Valzifenz, Vergaldner and Garnera valleys. Construction began in June 1925 in the small village of Partenen, where there was no electricity, telephone or modern water supply. Up to 1,800 engineers and workers built access roads, cable cars, a narrow-gauge railway from Tschagguns to Partenen and the Vermunt dam itself. The 50-metre-high gravity dam was completed between 1928 and 1931, using a new method of compacted concrete instead of traditional poured concrete. The power station started operating in 1930, with full storage reached in 1931. Today the lake holds 5.3 million cubic metres of water and can generate 15.13 million kilowatt hours of energy. Its natural catchment area covers 22 square kilometres, while additional water arrives through four diversion channels. The dam was reinforced between 1987 and 1989 to ensure long-term stability. Visitors reach the lake along the Silvretta High Alpine Road and find a high mountain reservoir framed by rugged peaks, with the dam and power station visible at its western end.