Many Rivers to Cross – The Ruhr Region: Dambusters

Part of the Allied bombing campaign against Germany during the war included the Dambusters raid. This was an elite Lancaster bomber unit and the famous Dambusters Raid was led by Wing Commander Guy Gibson VC. How much impact the Dambusters raid had is still debated but what cannot be is the unique contribution made by Barnes Wallis who developed the unique bouncing bomb. Modern revisionists would say the raid did not have a long term impact, but at the time it had enormous propaganda value for the Allies, so much so that photographers were sent on one Lancaster to capture film to be shown in cinemas.

Amazingly then, the Mohne dam is really rather beautiful, even though the bouncing bomb ploughed straight through the centre of it, almost completely destroying it and flooding the valley. If you visit the local restaurant Der Seehaf Mohnesee you can see photographs of the dam as it looked after being bombed - it’s amazing to see it now.

Westphalia Stadium is not far from the river, and well worth a visit – it’s home to Borussia Dortmund football club! But if that’s not your style, you an always try the woods and parkland around Hohensyburg castle which has panoramic views across the Ruhr and Lennetal valleys. For the water sports enthusiast, Westphalia's biggest reservoir, the Biggetalsperre, lies between Olpe and Attendorn. It is perfect for swimming and all kinds of water sports and at Attendorn the Atta Cave is worth visiting, and sort of vaguely water related as it is what’s called a dripstone cave, filled with lacy stalactites and stalagmites. Take a guide and don’t enter if you think you might be claustrophobic as part of the system is one way, and you have to go all the way through to get out.

And of course, winter sports fans will want to make for the all year round activities at Winterberg where the top class bobsleigh and toboggan runs attract the world's top bob-sleighers.

Mohne Dam photograph by ronileichen, used under a creative commons attribution licence

 

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