It lies on the northern side of the Thuringian Forest in the county of Gotha near the village of Luisenthal.

In the course of the construction of the dam 20 homes, a saw mill and the old boiler smithy of the village of Schwarzwald were demolished and the road to Oberhof re-routed.

The country pub, "Untere Schweizerhütte" had to close due to its location within the reservoir catchment and was also torn down.

In the period leading up to the year 2000, a general maintenance programme was carried out on the dam and its inlet structure.

The inflow to the reservoir is ensured through the use of tunnels diverting water from the Zahme Gera and Schmalwasser.