Come and see the interior of the highest concrete dam in the Czech Republic.
The Orlík Dam is the largest, highest and most massive one in the Vltava dam chain. It is 450 meters long. It is built of so-called heavy concrete (specially patented for the Orlík waterworks), and reaches a height of 91 m. The largest depth is 74 m. With the volume of retained water, the Orlík reservoir ranks first in the Czech Republic.
The hydroelectric power plant is a part of the waterworks, which ranks second among hydro power plants in the Czech Republic. An integral part of the hydroelectric power plant are the Kaplan turbines, through which the Vltava makes its way. Since the water consumption at Kaplan turbines in Orlík is considerable, the Vltava flows through Orlík only a few hours or minutes a day.
You can come and see how it works in such a hydro power plant at any time of the year, upon prior reservation. The tour of the engine room and the dam takes about an hour.
The excursion can be reached by car, bike or on the board of a cruise ship from the Orlík Castle.
Trivia:
- the ten-blade impeller of Kaplan's turbine received awards at EXPO 58 in Brussels and was a world rarity at the time.
- because of the construction of the dam, a church had to be moved (St. Prokop's Church).
- ship transportation on the Orlík reservoir has been in operation since the rise of the water level, ie from the 1960s.
