Recklinghausen substation

This anchor point is a modern business premises, museum and monument at the same time. The "Electricity Journey Through Time" in the Recklinghausen substation presents the cultural, social and technical history of electrification on 2500 square meters.

At the end of the 19th century, electricity hardly played a role in the Emscher zone. Further south, in the Ruhr area, it was just beginning to take off: the tram had been running in Essen since 1893, only called "electric" by the residents; In 1897, the first municipal power station in Westphalia went online in Dortmund. The rapidly growing industry of the Ruhr area was the main consumer of electricity. As the 20th century progressed, more and more companies converted their systems to electricity and operated winding machines, mine lamps, mine locomotives and also the blowers for the blast furnaces of the ironworks electrically. A nationwide distribution of electricity was soon unavoidable due to increasing demand. The electricity generated in several large steam power plants was therefore transformed down to a lower distribution voltage in substations for distribution and then forwarded to local network stations.

Electrification has also left an impressive mark in Recklinghausen. Since 1928, a conspicuous building complex has marked the southern border of the city like a city gate: the substation of the United Electricity Works Westphalia (VEW). The central location between two major cities was an important advantage of the location. Air pollution and high humidity due to the proximity to the Emscher River made it necessary to completely rebuild the electrical systems - deviating from the technical standards of the time. After various conversions, the historic building structure was restored between 1991 and 1994 and a modern 110 kV system was installed.

The substation does its work as it always has and is an impressive anchor point thanks to the unique combination of listed building, active business premises and museum.