PROJECT OF THE MONTH A TIGHT C
SQUEEZE
The rope manufacturer Voigt Seil- und Hebetechnik in Bad Düben (Germany) is a certified service partner of STAHL CraneSystems and has completely replaced the crane system for opening the bulkhead at the bottom outlet in the Rappbode Dam. A sophisticated concept from the modular CraneKit system was used for this. The special design had to fit through a narrow hatch in the dam and be installed in the confined space inside the dam wall. Heike Metzger, senior specialist, sales enablement, STAHL CraneSystems in Künzelsau, explains.
raneKits from STAHL CraneSystems contain all the components required to build a crane system: rope hoists, winches, chain hoists,
control and monitoring components, frequency converters for hoists, travel drives, crane head girders, accessories and many options, such as radio remote controls. A special solution has now been developed from this modular system, which went into operation in October 2025 at the Rappbode Dam. The Harz region is characterised by extensive forests, deep valleys, wild rivers and waterfalls – a large, protected area where water management, nature conservation and tourism must be brought together. The Harz/Saxony- Anhalt Nature Park is an example of how this can be achieved. It is home to one of the two largest drinking water dams in Germany.
The Rappbode, like its tributary the Hassel, is dammed by the 415-metre-long Rappbode Dam. The reservoir covers an area of almost four square kilometres. With a volume of around 110 million cubic metres of water, it is the largest reservoir in the Harz Mountains. At 106m, the dam is the highest dam wall in Germany and, with around 47 million cubic metres of raw water per year, Germany’s largest drinking water supply. The dam, which was built in 1959, consists of 30 wall sections with a maximum segment width of 16m, whereby the field joints provide a certain degree of flexibility and protect the very large rigid structure from cracking as far as possible. The valve and winch house, together with the operating equipment, are located at the south-eastern end of the dam. Due to its special structural features and uniqueness, this architectural giant was designated a
The Rappbode Dam is classed as a “Historic Landmark of Civil Engineering in Germany”.
8 | March 2026 |
www.hoistmagazine.com
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