#32 - An excursion to the past - The Vajont Dam

Last Sunday I visited the Vajont Dam in between Trento and Udine which let me to a story from the past. A big tragedy happened in 1963 where around 2.000 people were killed.

The dam got completed 1959 and it's one of the tallest dams in the world with its 262 metres. 

The tragedy could have been prevented because there were warning signs and reports from the geological instability of the mountain Toc (a mountain right next to the lake) - but the construction company and the government decided to not listen to the journalists which reported those warnings. 

There were little landslides and earthquakes before the big tragedy happened. The construction company tried to control the landslides by lowering the water of the dam - but they didn't succeed.

The day came where the big tragedy happened: 9th October 1963. At 10.39 pm a massive landslide of rock, forest and earth fell into the dam lake. The water in the dam lake got build up to a 250-metre wave. The villages around the dam got destroyed and around 2.000 people were killed. 

But one village survived: Casso! 

Casso is located so high up that the wave couldn't reach the village.

After visiting Casso it was time to go down to the Vajont Dam where the tragedy happened. Taking a guided tour was necessary to walk along the very tall dam wall - which even let me shake my knees (and I'm usually not altitude sick).

Walking past all the names of the children that died during the catastrophe left goosebumps on my skin and reminded me how precious life is.

The dam isn't anymore in use and the landslide full of forest, earth and rock lays now silent where there was the dam lake. Trees grew over the time over the moved land and the "dam lake"-scenery will always be a reminder of the tragedy.  

If you are ever in this area of Italy and this story interests you more, you should definitely visit the Vajont Dam. It is an incredible story, an incredible scenery and an incredible construction of the dam wall. Short said: It's worthwhile a visit!