It was built by the company B. Liebold & Co. AG (Holzminden/Berlin) under the direction of Alberto Cucchiero, according to the design of Professor Otto Intze and Dr. Curt Bachmann for the Prussian State Government.

The decision to build the dam was made on 3 July 1900,[2] by the Prussian Parliament as a consequence of a large flood of 1897.

The thickness of its wall at the base is 50 m, and at the top - 7 m, making it the largest stone and concrete dam in Europe at the time of its commissioning.

The area of the created reservoir (Jezioro Pilchowickie) was 240 ha, its depth at the dam is 46 m[3] and its volume is 50 million m³.

A power plant equipped with Francis and Kaplan system water turbines and generators was built on the dam.