Petit Neuweiher, Rimbach-près-Masevaux, Thann-Guebwiller, Haut-Rhin, Grand Est, Francei

Regional Level Types
Petit Neuweiher	Reservoir
Rimbach-près-Masevaux	Commune
Thann-Guebwiller	Arrondissement
Haut-Rhin	Department
Grand Est	Region
France	Country

The Grand Neuweiher and the Petit Neuweiher are two lakes located in France, in the Grand Est, on the borders of the municipalities of Rimbach and Oberbruck.

These are medium altitude lakes in the Vosges massif and more particularly the Haute Bers massif, a subset interspersed between the Ballon d'Alsace massif and that of Rossberg. The dam of the downstream lake (the Petit Neuweiher) is at an altitude of 810 meters.

These lakes have a glacial origin: they come from over-digging caused by a glacier, which gave rise to the large cirque where they are located. However, their current configuration originates from the establishment of two dams. The two lakes thus constitute two water reservoirs in series, formerly used to provide hydraulic energy to local industry (forges, then weaving).

Over the course of their history, the initial dams were abandoned, and the lakes dried up. The site then underwent agricultural exploitation, with the construction of a farm, whose ruins are still visible when the lake level is very low. The possibility of exploiting the bottom of the lakes suggests that once the effect of the initial dams was removed, the site was also unable to maintain the original glacial lake, or it was very small. When the dams were rebuilt in 1858, farming ended and the farm was submerged.

The two dams were the subject of reinforcement work under the project management of the Haut-Rhin General Council. In particular, the upstream dam has been completely rebuilt.

Other Databases

Wikipedia:	https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lacs_des_Grand_et_Petit_Neuweiher
Wikidata ID:	Q3114666

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