Jugendstil-Wasserkraftwerk Heimbach

The Art Nouveau hydroelectric power plant is located in Heimbach and was put into operation in 1905.
The hydroelectric power station draws its water from the Urft dam via the Kermeterstollen, which merges into two pressure pipes 110 m above the power plant.

The power station is still in operation and can be visited by appointment.

In any case, this hydroelectric power plant is worth seeing. It is one of the few industrial buildings in Art Nouveau style. It is still in operation today and can be visited.

On a circular route around the dam in Heimbach you can see this Art Nouveau power plant

Nice power plant in the Art Nouveau style, but is not driven by the Rur, but about the Kermeterstollen about 70m further above and fed by the Urfttalsperre.

Tour around the Heimbacher dam with visit to the beer garden of Franz Pütz (open until the end of October) 👍👍

The power plant is beautifully lit at night! The visit is well worth it in the evening in any case.

Interesting destination for friends of industrial culture with informative boards.

Every now and then, there are many concerts in the old power station

Art Nouveau power plant of 1905 which is still in operation today and its water from a tunnel fed from the Urftsee relates.

Great building from the imperial period (1904/05). Would like to go in, but was not possible that day ... but you can look at it under certain circumstances. Simply a beautiful industrial monument.

Super nice old power plant located on a mountain slope. The architecture of the building is fascinating.

The power plant is located in an Art Nouveau building designed by the architect Georg Frentzen in 1905. (Wikipedia)

The concerts, which take place here annually, are worth a visit: The power plant has a special acoustics

Beautiful landscape with great views! 👍

"... The Heimbach power plant is located in Heimbach in the North Eifel and was put into operation in 1905. The water power plant draws its water from the Urfttalsperre via the Kermeter tunnel, which merges into two pressure pipes 110 m above the power plant. The power plant is still in operation today The original equipment, with eight Francis turbines, each driving its own 1,500 kilowatt generator, was in operation for almost 70 years.The turbines were decommissioned in 1975 and replaced by two new, more efficient machines, and one has been installed since then Output of 16,000 kilowatts to cover peak loads. Some of the old machines have remained in place, as the new power generators take up significantly less space. Would you like to experience hydropower up close and take a tour of the Heimbach hydropower plant? Groups and individuals can use the visitor service of the RWE can be agreed upon prior notification. Groups: from 15 - 40 people Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 10 a.m. or 2 p.m. (March - October) * Individual visitors: from 10 - 40 people Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday at 2 p.m. (March - October ) * * Holidays are excluded! ... "
rureifel-tourismus.de/a-jugendstil-wasserkraftwerk-heimbach

<< The Kaplan turbine >>
"... The Kaplan turbine developed from the Francis turbine. This has axial inflow and outflow of the impeller and radially arranged guide vanes. Both the impeller and the tail unit can be adjusted. The Kaplan turbine is suitable for smaller heads (up to max. 80 m) and large water flows.
The impeller resembles a ship's propeller. The rotor blades are adjustable (mostly oil-hydraulically) (fixed blades are referred to as propeller turbines). They do not have a cover to the housing such as cover tape.
The adjustability of guide vanes and rotor blades results in favorable control characteristics and favorable partial load behavior. The optimal assignment of the position of the guide and rotor blades is set with the help of process computers (optimal efficiency: constant speed regardless of the load). ... "
wasserkraftverband.de/pages/wissenswertes-zur-wasserkraft/die-kaplan-turbine.php

Wonderfully situated in the valley, a place with history

You pass around the stausee

Beautifully located industrial monument, which is still in operation and can currently supply around 7,000 households with electricity.

The Art Nouveau power station is a well-preserved witness of the past

Nice, well-kept building. Interesting, if unusual, is the Art Nouveau construction

There is still the delicious pea soup as in the times of the monks

The Kaplan turbine was further developed from the Francis turbine and patented by the Austrian engineer Viktor Kaplan in 1913.
In the Kaplan turbine, the impeller resembles a ship's propeller, the blades of which are adjustable. Water flows around it and drives a generator. The tail unit directs the incoming water so that it hits the blades of the impeller at an optimal angle. This enables an optimal response to fluctuations in the water supply. Kaplan turbines are ideally suited for use with low to very low heads and large fluctuating flow rates. The Kaplan turbine is therefore predestined for large river power plants. Source: landeskraftwerke.bayern/turbinenarten.htm

Hydroelectric power plant