Kraftwerk Vockerode
THE ABANDONED POWER PLANT IN GERMANY
‘Kraftwerk Vockerode’, also called ‘Kraftwerk Elbe’, was a lignite and later also gas-fired power plant in Vockerode, Germany. It was built in 1937 and shut-down between 1994 and 1998. While the four chimneys of the plant were demolished in 2001, much of the original building still exists today.
The first block of the lignite-fired power plant was built between 1937 and 1940. The power plant suffered no damage during the Second World War. After dismantling of the equipment during the Soviet occupation, the inverter hall was transformed into a workshop. A lot of equipment from the power plant was also dismantled. Between 1953 and 1959 the power plant was refurbished, and a second block was built to provide for growing electricity demands of industry and households in the DDR.
Greenhouses
After 1968 the city of Dessau was supplied with heat from Vockerode Power Plant via a 15 kilometers long line. Between 1972 and 1974, greenhouse facilities were built on an area of 64 hectares, which were heated by the power plant. The Vockerode electricity was used for growing tomatoes and cucumbers. The greenhouse facilities were shut down in 1991, and demolished in 1997. In 1994 the company shut down the lignite power plant. During 1998 the gas turbine power plant was shut down and on September 22, 2001, they demolished the chimneys by explosives. Finally, in 2005 the oil tanks of the gas turbine plant were demolished. I visited ‘Kraftwerk Vockerode’ in 2012.
