CHÂTEL-SUR-MONTSALVENS

The Jogne, Javro and Riau du Motélon rivers come together in a lake held back by Switzerland's oldest arch dam (1921) for a 10-minute walk and a 40-metre drop in altitude. The tour of the lake is also a slightly longer walk (3 hours), but allows you to see the lake from every angle. A 60-metre suspension bridge crosses one of the arms of the lake.

This dam is Europe's first double-arch dam, both vertical and horizontal. Measuring 55 metres high, it created the Lac de Montsalvens, which can be seen from the road between Bulle and Charmey.

Below, deep gorges are carved by the Jogne into limestone rocks that are 160 million years old. Further downstream from the dam and the Jogne gorges is the Electrobroc power plant, which is fed by a penstock from the lake. The plant supplies a significant proportion of the electricity consumed in the canton of Fribourg.

The lake is accessible by public transport (TPF), getting off at the Restaurant stop.