A restored Aare reservoir in northern Switzerland, valued as a national floodplain sanctuary and birdwatching haven.
Klingnauer Stausee
The Klingnauer Stausee is an artificial reservoir on the lower Aare in the canton of Aargau, Switzerland, created in the 1930s as part of the Klingnau hydroelectric power station. Extending roughly three kilometers between the flood protection embankments near the riverside communities of Klingnau, Döttingen, Kleindöttingen, Gippingen, Böttstein, and Leuggern, the lake lies in the Swiss Jura just upstream of the Aare's confluence with the Rhine, in a region long known as the Wasserschloss, or water castle, of Switzerland.
The reservoir sits within a broader landscape of former floodplain and old river channels that were progressively modified by hydroelectric development and flood control works. Over time, the still waters and surrounding relic floodplain habitats, such as the protected Gippinger Grien, have become recognized as a nationally important wetland complex, hosting a wide variety of waterbirds, migratory species, and returning native fauna like the beaver.
The Klingnauer Stausee is sustained as a protected area in its own right and functions as a popular destination for walkers, cyclists, and birdwatchers exploring northern Switzerland, with infrastructure such as the Klingnauer Beobachtungsturm observation tower supporting its long established role as one of the country's most accessible birding sites.
