Vockerode Power Station XVIIby *kiebitz

Photography / Urban & Rural / Industrial

On photo-tour at the Vockerode Power Station.

History:

Vockerode was the location of a lignite-burning power station for almost sixty years. The first part of the building was constructed from 1937 to 1940. Between 1945 and 1947 the plant's installations and equipment were dismantled and sent to the Soviet Union as reparation.

From 1953 to 1959 the second part of the station was added to the power station. Beginning in 1968 the city of Dessau was supplied with district heating via a fifteenkilometre conduit. The power station was then converted to a peak-load plant with the addition of gas turbines in 1971. In 1972 a greenhouse for tomatoes and cucumbers was constructed and provided with warmth by the station. The entire power plant was decommissioned in 1994.

As one of the most important industrial monuments in central Europe, the area was then designated a protected historical landmark. The power plant was then used by the state of Saxony-Anhalt as an exhibition centre for important exhibits at the EXPO 2000. In 2001 the station's four smokestacks were demolished after the area had been surveyed and the station lost its protected status.

On 2 July, 2006, the premiere of Marquis de Sade [link] , the station was designated a "Selected Location 2006" as a part of the "Germany – Land of Ideas" PR campaign for the FIFA World Cup.