Lütschestausee, reservoir in Germany

Lütschestausee is a reservoir in the Geratal valley, created by damming a river to form a water storage basin. The elongated body of water sits nestled between forested slopes and hillsides that frame the landscape on both sides.

The Lütsche dam was built between 1935 and 1938 by the Deutsche Reichsbahn for about 4 million Reichsmark, to supply soft water to the stations of Arnstadt, Neudietendorf and Erfurt and prevent boiler scale in steam locomotives. It opened on 12 July 1938; the state of Thuringia provided the land, and the dam passed into state ownership. The crest was renewed in the 1980s and the wall renovated from 1994 to 1996.

The dam crest carries a flat paved walkway with blue metal railings on both sides, and a metal railing with a narrow path runs along the top of the wall. The reservoir lies at about 580 m in the Thuringian Forest, so summer water temperatures reach only 15 to 20 °C. The site is used for diver training, and the water is fully drained for maintenance in some years.