Hiking - The Shores of the Petit lac de Pannecière
This walk, very close to the largest of the Morvan lakes, reveals a rich heritage and beautiful views of the Morvan countryside.
The Pannecière Chaumard Reservoir Dam
Covering an area of 520 hectares and holding 80 million cubic meters of water, it is the largest of the Morvan lakes. The monumental dam (340 m long and 50 m high), of the "multiple-arch and buttress" type, was built with a compensation basin between 1938 and 1950 along the Yonne river. It primarily serves to regulate the waters of the Seine, via the Yonne, its main tributary, and then for electricity generation by a power plant at the foot of the dam, for drinking water supply, and for leisure activities, tourism, and fishing.
The size and depth of the Pannecière-Chaumard reservoir mean it never freezes completely. During harsh winters, the lake serves as a refuge for numerous species of water birds, including great crested grebes, great cormorants, grey herons, egrets, and mallards, but also northern pintails, common pochards, tufted ducks, mergansers... Downstream from the lake, a compensation basin named "le petit lac" (the small lake) feeds the Canal du Nivernais via the Yonne channel. At the foot of the Pannecière dam, a large interactive model allows visitors to learn about the various uses of water. An initial model (at 1/36 scale) had been created before the dam's construction to show local residents its operation and to simulate a flood with the spillway. Having fallen into disuse, it was restored in 2013.
Today, it is an interactive space. There, one discovers a system of canals, a waterfall that turns a waterwheel providing electricity to illuminate the arches, a canal symbolizing the Canal du Nivernais where two mini-locks are installed, and various valves allowing interaction with the water flow...
Good footwear recommended. Caution at point 7: steep, unsecured ascent.
The Pannecière Chaumard Reservoir Dam
Covering an area of 520 hectares and holding 80 million cubic meters of water, it is the largest of the Morvan lakes. The monumental dam (340 m long and 50 m high), of the "multiple-arch and buttress" type, was built with a compensation basin between 1938 and 1950 along the Yonne river. It primarily serves to regulate the waters of the Seine, via the Yonne, its main tributary, and then for electricity generation by a power plant at the foot of the dam, for drinking water supply, and for leisure activities, tourism, and fishing.
The size and depth of the Pannecière-Chaumard reservoir mean it never freezes completely. During harsh winters, the lake serves as a refuge for numerous species of water birds, including great crested grebes, great cormorants, grey herons, egrets, and mallards, but also northern pintails, common pochards, tufted ducks, mergansers... Downstream from the lake, a compensation basin named "le petit lac" (the small lake) feeds the Canal du Nivernais via the Yonne channel. At the foot of the Pannecière dam, a large interactive model allows visitors to learn about the various uses of water. An initial model (at 1/36 scale) had been created before the dam's construction to show local residents its operation and to simulate a flood with the spillway. Having fallen into disuse, it was restored in 2013.
Today, it is an interactive space. There, one discovers a system of canals, a waterfall that turns a waterwheel providing electricity to illuminate the arches, a canal symbolizing the Canal du Nivernais where two mini-locks are installed, and various valves allowing interaction with the water flow...
Good footwear recommended. Caution at point 7: steep, unsecured ascent.