Ladon Lake, Reservoir in Arcadia, Greece

Ladon Lake is an artificial reservoir on the upper Ladon, a tributary of the Alfeios, in northwestern Arcadia. Its 50 m dam, built in 1955, holds back a body of water of 3.048 km², lying in the municipal units of Kleitor, Kontovazaina and Tropaia within Gortynia municipality. The reservoir fills a sparsely populated mountainous area.

The lake was completed in 1955 after dam construction began in 1950, designed to supply water to surrounding communities and farming lands. An Italian company built the project, funded by war reparations Italy owed Greece following the Second World War.

The reservoir lies entirely within the municipality of Gortynia, spread across the municipal units of Kleitor, Kontovazaina and Tropaia, in a sparsely populated mountain area. The Ladon, a tributary of the Alfeios, feeds it, and the artificial lake covers 3.048 km². Villages such as Tropaia sit close to its shores.

The reservoir sits in a sparsely populated mountainous area of northwestern Arcadia, spread across the municipal units of Kleitor, Kontovazaina and Tropaia in Gortynia. Approach it from the villages of these units; the 50 m dam on the Ladon is the main orientation point. Ground away from the dam is rough, so wear sturdy shoes and carry water.

Hidden beneath the water lies Kira's Bridge, a medieval stone crossing built in the 13th century that emerges only when the water level drops. This submerged span connects the region's distant past with its present landscape in a tangible way.