GERMANY

GERMANY / DEUTSCHLAND.

Centenary of Möhne Reservoir.
The Möhne Dam.
Stamp issued on 04.04.2013.
Face value: 90 Euro cents.
Design: Gerda M. Neumann and Horst F. Neumann.
Printed by Giesecke+Devrient, München.
Printing: Offset lithography.
Size: 44.2 x 26.2 mm.

Catalogs
- AFA No. 3842.
- Michel No. 3000.
- Scott No. 2730.
- StampWorld No. 2771.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 3843.
- Unificato No. 2832.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 2821.

The Möhne Reservoir is an artificial lake in North Rhine-Westphalia German State, some 45 km (28 mi) east of Dortmund. The lake is formed by the damming of two rivers, Möhne and Heve, and with its four basins stores as much as 135 million cubic meters of water. The 650 m (2,132.5 ft) dam was built between 1908 and 1913, and when it opened it was the longest in Europe. This water complex was conceived to help control flooding, regulate water levels in the Ruhr River, and generate hydroelectric power. The dam was bombed by RAF during Operation Chastise on the night of May 16/17, 1943: a 77m by 22m breach was opened and the ensuing massive flood wave killed more than 1,570 people. Lake Möhne is designated as a European bird sanctuary in the Natura 2000 system of protected areas of the European Union.