Lipno Reservoir, Artificial reservoir in Šumava region, Czech Republic

Lipno Reservoir is a man-made lake in the southern Bohemian Forest along the upper Vltava, stretching over 40 kilometers. Its water surface forms the largest artificial lake in the Czech Republic with numerous bays and forested shorelines.

Between 1952 and 1959 the reservoir was created by building a dam across the Vltava for energy production and flood control. The project replaced several villages and settlements that were submerged.

The reservoir banks feature multiple recreational facilities where visitors participate in water sports, sailing, and swimming during summer months.

Boat docks and swimming areas are found at several points along the lake, accessible by roads that follow the shoreline. During summer there are many opportunities for swimming and water sports, while in winter the frozen surface is used for recreational activities.

The dam near Lipno nad Vltavou is 296 m long and 25 m high, built partly as an earth-fill embankment on the right bank and partly as a concrete gravity wall on the left. Its crest carries a two-lane road linking Lipno nad Vltavou with Vyšší Brod. The Lipno I powerhouse stands less than 200 m below the dam, with its turbines in an underground cavern about 160 m beneath it.