Vidraru Dam and Lake in Fagaras Mountains

Along the Transfagarasan, at 40 kilometers from Curtea de Arges, between Pleasa and Vidraru slopes, is located Vidraru Lake and Dam - built between 1960 to 1966, for the production of electricity, irrigation and flood prevention, being now an excellent place also for recreation, tourism and sports, eg Bungee jumping extreme sport.

The dam stood at its completion, measured at height, in 8th place in Europe and ranks 20th in the world. Thousands were drilled underground galleries of 42 km long, was excavated one million cubic meters of underground rock, was poured nearly one million cubic meters of concrete, and human sacrifices have cost over eighty lives.

Between Fruntii Mountains and Ghitu Massif, in lake waters gather rivers Capra, Buda and several direct tributaries - Raul Doamnei, Cernatul and Valsan, Topologul, Valea lui Stan and Limpedea River, which have a total flow of about 5.5 m3 / s .

The lake surface is 893 ha, length of 10.3 km, the maximum width is 2.2 km inValea Lupului - Călugărița zone and it has a circumference of 28 km and water depth is 155 m high near curved dam of 166 m, with a crest length of 307 meters.
The volume of water is 465 million m³., the normal retention level beong of 830.00 meters above sea level.

Vidraru hydroelectric power factory located 104 meters deep underground can produce, in an average hydrological year, approximately 400 GWh electricity, with an installed capacity of 220 MW. Coming from Curtea de Arges to DN1 (common Cartisoara, SB), on the road that passes in front of Vidraru hydropower factory, on dam, we see through right of the Vidraru Lake the spectacular Transfagarasan (DN7C), and at night, the outline of the dam can be seen from the plane, being electrically lighted.

You can reach at dam on the eastern bank of the lake, the road which climbs to Balea, and from end to the left, you can arrive at Cumpana depression. The view from the Belvedere is unforgettable, it is a great point of tourist attraction.