Cristina Hodgson
THE abandoned Montejaque reservoir, built in the 1920s, which never had any water due to a botched engineering job, will house an adventure park with zip lines and hanging bridges.
The construction of the dam, also known as Caballeros dam or Hundidero dam, was completed in 1924, and, at 75 metres high, became the largest vault dam in Spain.
However, this dam never became fully functional due to the reservoir’s permeable soil, which saw reservoir water disappear in a few hours, due to leaks.
In the years following its inauguration, the problem was tried to be solved, without success, and it was finally abandoned.
Almost a hundred years on and now there are plans to convert the abandoned dam into an extreme sports adventure park.
In a bid to boost the local economy, fight depopulation and recover its cultural and ethnographic heritage, Montejaque city council has embarked on an ambitious project for the area surrounding the Montejaque reservoir to become a must-visit for adrenaline junkies.
Part of this project is the restoration of a walkway leading to Los Caballeros dam, which will be called the Caminito de Montejaque or Caminito de los Caballeros, and will be similar to the famous Caminito del Rey.
Additionally, there are plans to build a hanging bridge and a thrilling zip-line.
Work is currently underway to improve the whole area, including signposting and fencing of the accesses to the dam and the entrance to the Cueva del Hundidero, which is a natural monument and an Asset of Cultural Interest (BIC)—and is at present, restricted to the public.
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