Some rainy morning in Hungary: In order to stay away from security and CCTV, we had to move fast and look for cover in the overgrown parts of the site during this infiltration. We were far behind schedule but after some time we finally reached the reason why we were willing to take the great risk. Believe us when we say that it was totally worth it! Did you ever see something as crazy as this?!
This control room in Art Deco style is a real monument to industrial art. The oval, decorative glass ceiling with the endless displays, switches and buttons right beneath it are showing the duality between the ornate style of the turn of the century and functional, mechanical modernity. To us, this room had the strange sci-fi movie-like atmosphere of an alien spaceship's command center.
The control room is just a small part of this defunct and retired powerhouse. But it is for sure the most impressive one! After a construction period of two years, it started to produce electricity here in 1914. Back then, this used to be the very first boiler house and power supply of the city. The building was even that modern, that it was Europe's first electricity exchange. The control room, as it outlasted till today, wasn't constructed before 1927.
After World War Two, the power plant was converted to produce district heating. The massive building complex was extended and modernized several times to meet the growing requirements of power generation. In the course of the years, it became the biggest power station of the country and the most modern one in all of Central Europe. As recently as in 2005, large parts of the facility were deactivated and stripped down. The control room, however, remained as it always used to be. All the control panels rest untouched and are theoretically still operational.
Maybe you're wondering what this oddly placed bunker here is all about. Well, it's said that the control room was an easy target for bombings in World War Two because of the noticeable glass ceiling. The small shelter should protect the personnel in case of air raids. But luckily, the power station came through the war unscathed.
The partial demolition of the plant was terminated one day. Since the powerhouse is already over 100 years old, it counts as industrial heritage site and is under special protection. It's not allowed to tear it down but due to strict and binding requirements the building complex can't be restored as well. Even basic maintenance can't be conducted and so, the condition of the historical place gets worse every day.
However, the motion picture industry is benefiting from that. In the past, the power plant was a set for different kinds of films again and again. Also international productions were shot here. The post-apocalyptic vibe is a dream for many filmmakers. For us, however, this wasn’t fiction but a real adventure. The grand powerhouse offers a brief glimpse into a forgotten era, preserved with all its glory intact. On our way back to the car we were accompanied by a feeling of elation. Not having been stopped by security, we experienced a unique site, only a small amount of people will ever be able to explore. And if you now think that this infiltration was tough, you should stay tuned. Because there was a second power station on our bucket list. But that next exploration was even more challenging. But see for yourself in this documentary:
I've always wondered about the status of this place, so I got really excited when I saw you were doing a video. Amazing pictures and video as usual. Hopefully I can get a chance to visit while it's still good.
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