Matka’s dam

On its way to the Vardar river, the Treska river forms 85 km long gorge with the magnificent rocky relief that occasionally gets the shape of a canyon. On this river a hydroelectric power station and a dam were built, and the artificial lake of Matka was formed. Built in only 60 days in 1936, using a half-circle arc-shaped construction.  Many worried that the dam could not hold back the fast-moving river, but it has not only survived; it remains a great engineering achievement.