In 1925, the RWE built the tower transformer station “Alte Kempener Landstrasse 86” to supply the surrounding farms, residential complexes of small farmers and the “Fischershof” poor and hospital with electrical energy. In 1995, SWK took over the power supply for the Hüls district and thus also this tower station.
The station remained in operation without any significant changes until 2001. With the cabling of the overhead line network (10 and 0.4 kV) in the “Alte Kempener Landstraße/Düffelsweg” area, the tower station for the electricity supply became unnecessary and was taken out of operation.
SWK ENERGIE, together with the NABU Nature Conservation Association of Germany, the Krefeld/Viersen District Association, and the city of Krefeld, found an alternative to demolishing this building by using it as a “bird tower” for species protection. In the spring of 2002, the tower was restored to its historical condition from 1925 through SWK ENERGIE and donations from Krefeld companies. SWK ENERGIE handed over the building to NABU in June 2002.
The tower is now used as a nesting place for rare species such as the kestrel, the barn owl, the little owl and the brown long-eared bat.