Rur Dam

The Rur Dam (German: Rurtalsperre Schwammenauel) is a 77.2 metre high dam located in the southwestern part of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany.

It lies within the districts of Aachen and Düren.

The original dam was built between 1934 and 1938 from earth and stone, with an inner lining of loam, coming into service in 1939.

During the Second World War, on February 10, 1945, to impede the advance of the Anglo-Canadian 21st Army Group during Operation Veritable, water was released from the sluice gates; this delayed supportive action (Operation Grenade) by the American Ninth Army for two weeks.

The headwaters of the Rur Reservoir, with their length in kilometres (km), according to the Deutsche Grundkarte map (sorted alphabetically):[1]