Visit the historic site of the dam killing over 400 people
History
The Malpasset Dam collapses on this day in 1959 and the resulting flood kills more than 400 people. The city of Frejus, dating back to Caesar’s time, was devastated by the massive flood. The water rushed down the gorge with tremendous power. Miles away, windows and doors were blown out of homes by the water. Some victims were buried in mud, while others are believed to have been swept out to sea.
Website, Navigation and Map
Website : link (entrance fee to the dam: free)
For map navigation from your current position using your smartphone, click here
Walking from the parking lot
It takes 20-25 minutes to walk from the parking lot to the dam, and the walk is fairly easy. It is an easy walk, not really accessible with push chairs or wheelchairs, but easily done by pedal bike or on foot.
The car park is big and almost directly under the motorway. If the weather is warm, you should bring hats and water, as there is little shade on the walk up.
Walking up from the parking area you shortly see the dam and immediately realize how big it really was: 60 m high and arched about 400 m across the valley.
The dam can be climbed on at the bottom so it is really good for photos. You should read up on the dam collapse prior to arrival as there is little information available at the site.
On the right side of the river part of the dam still remains, providing visitors a good impression of the dam’s size and shape.
Walking back down the stream, you will notice the huge cement blocks, each weighing hundreds of tons, that washed kilometers downstream in the raging flood waters. This shows the extreme amount of force and power involved when the dam broke.
Here is a link to Tripadvisors recommendation of the site.
Villa Soleil 