The construction of Vidraru Dam began in 1965 and was completed in a record time of only 5 years, being inaugurated on December 9, 1966. The dam is anchored inside the Pleasa and Vidraru Mountains and is traversed by 9 horizontal galleries.

The dam has a height of 166.60 meters, and the length of the crest is 307 meters. The base thickness of the dam is 25 meters, and at the crest, it is 6 meters. It was the first double arch dam built in Romania.

Access to the Vidraru Dam body is through arc bridges located a few kilometers below. For construction, 480,000 cubic meters of non-reinforced, impermeable concrete were needed, and it is said that over 80 people lost their lives during its construction.

For filling Lake Vidraru, the rivers Topolog, Valea lui Stan, Limpedea, Valsan, and Raul Doamnei were diverted, and over 42 km of underground galleries were excavated.

Lake Vidraru, under optimal conditions, covers an area of 870 hectares and holds 465 million cubic meters of water.

According to the book “Hidrocentrala si Barajul Vidraru 50” by Paul Gheorghiescu and Alexandru Gheorghiescu, the figures that reveal the tremendous effort put into this work are as follows:

Field research and survey works for project preparation:

• 6500 meters of drillings,
• 280 meters of large-diameter wells,
• 1600 meters of research galleries.

Site organization works:

• 14 labor colonies with a peak accommodation capacity of 8500 people,
• 12 canteens,
• 2 commercial complexes – Corbeni and Capataneni,
• 40 km of local roads for access to the construction area,
• 5 km of permanently modernized road – Capataneni – dam,
• 6 km of temporary construction roads,
• 14 high-capacity compressor stations,
• 10 concrete stations,
• 6 mining extraction installations,
• 15 repair workshops,
• a concrete factory with a capacity of 2000 cubic meters per day,
• 3 quarries, including the Rotunda quarry with a capacity of 2000 cubic meters per day.

Power supply for construction sites:

• 64 km of 110 kV power line – Pitesti – Capataneni,
• 97 km of aerial and 15 kV cable lines,
• 28 transformation stations.

Main categories of works carried out:

• 1,400,000 cubic meters of rock and earth excavations, of which 820,000 cubic meters in the underground,
• 42 km of underground galleries,
• 7 access shafts,
• 3 power plant caverns, with Vidraru power plant cavern having a volume of 65,000 cubic meters,
• 4 underground valve chambers,
• 1,040,000 cubic meters of poured concrete, of which 570,000 cubic meters in the underground and 470,000 cubic meters in the dam body,
• 135,000 tons of consumed cement (equivalent to a train 109 km long, with 10-ton wagons),
• 6300 tons of installed mechanical equipment,
• 11,000 square meters of protected linings through aluminum and bitumen coatings,
• 120 km of installed electrical cables, including 1.2 km of 220 kV cables,
• 12 km of 10.5 (15 kV) cables.

And one last less-known detail, not at all accidental, is that Cetatea Poenari is located at the same height as the crest of Vidraru Dam, with both constructions blending perfectly into the landscape offered by the Arges Gorges.

“From fire arise all arts and crafts, being a priceless treasure,” writes Aeschylus in “Prometheus Bound.”

Prometheus is the Titan who stole fire from Zeus and gave it to humans for warmth and to light their homes, thus becoming a symbol of electricity.

The statue of Prometheus at Vidraru is located on the platform on the left bank, over 20 meters above the crest, and stands 10 meters tall. It was made of stainless steel by the sculptor Constantin Popovici in the year 1971, after the completion of the Vidraru Dam and Hydroelectric Power Plant.

In Romania, only at the Vidraru Dam, a large-scale artistic monument has been designed and created. For the placement of Prometheus’ statue, a mountain was cut, and a special staircase was constructed around a pillar, all with one purpose: to allow people to visit these landmarks, admire the landscape, and perhaps compare, murmuring: are we, too, the epigones?…