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Origin and history

Vassivière Lake is an artificial lake created in the early 1950s by the construction of a hydroelectric dam on the Maulde in the Central Massif. Divided between the Creuse and Haute-Vienne departments, it covers 9.76 km2, making it the largest water body in Limousin and one of the largest artificial lakes in France. Its watering, which took place on Christmas Eve 1950, swallowed up eight villages, including Vassivière, which gave it its name.

The dam, built of reinforced concrete between 1947 and 1950, supplies a power plant located in Peyrat-le-Château, via an underground gallery of 2,585 meters. The lake is used to generate electricity, supply drinking water in Limoges, and maintain the Vienna flow rate for the Civaux nuclear power plant. It is also used for agricultural irrigation and water sports, with five monitored beaches and 45 km of shorelines.

In the 1960s and 1970s, Dr. Pierre Ferrand pushed the tourist development of the site, with the creation of ports, beaches, and accommodation. A road surrounding the lake was built to serve the new villages. Vassivière Island, in the centre of the lake, has been home since 1990 to an international contemporary art centre, born from a sculpture symposium in 1983. The lake is also known for its peatlands, its preserved landscapes, and its role in sporting events such as the Tour de France.

The lake is managed by a mixed union, faced with financial difficulties since the withdrawal of the Haute-Vienne in 2009. Despite these challenges, it remains a major leisure centre, hosting festivals such as Words of Storytelling and cycling competitions. Its natural environment, marked by moors, forests and wetlands, makes it a remarkable ecological and tourist site.

The lake also inspired fictional works, such as the novel Vivonne (2021) by Jérôme Leroy, and appeared in the film "It's Not My fault!" (1999). Its periodic emptying, as in 1995, allows the maintenance of the installations and reveals the remains of the submerged villages.

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