Döda fallet, Nature reserve near Ragunda, Sweden
Döda fallet is a former stream bed and nature reserve in Ragunda Municipality, Sweden, where a 35‑meter waterfall once flowed. The area now shows deep rock formations and dry gorges through which no water passes.
In 1796, a canal built for timber transport broke and emptied Lake Ragunda in four hours through a sudden flood. The water carved a new path and left the former gorge dry.
The name Döda fallet, "the dead fall", marks the dry channel left when the rapids called Gedungsen or Storforsen fell silent in 1796. The old names survive in local speech and older documents, alongside variants such as Gedunsen and Getamsen. Visitors today walk the emptied bed where the water once ran.
Marked walking trails lead from the parking area through the reserve and allow access to the rock formations. A restaurant operates during summer months from June through August.
The reserve is the only place in Sweden where a major waterfall vanished completely through human action. The landscape changed from a roaring river to a stony basin within a few hours.
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