EC1 Lodz

EC1 was the first power station in Lodz, built from 1906 and switched on in 1907 to supply the textile mills and the city's lighting, and it ran until 2001. The conversion completed in the 2010s kept the industrial fabric - boiler house, turbine hall, machinery, gantries - and inserted a science and technology centre into it, so the exhibits sit among the original plant rather than in a neutral box. There are three permanent routes covering energy conversion, the development of civilisation, and microcosm and macrocosm, with several hundred interactive stations. The planetarium has one of the larger domes in Europe and runs its own programme. A second part of the complex houses the National Centre for Film Culture, which is appropriate in a city with the Polish film school, covering film technique and history with hands-on equipment. The whole site sits beside the rebuilt Fabryczna station and the new city centre development.

History

Construction began in May 1906, and the first generator was connected to the city grid on 18 September 1907; the plant mainly supplied the textile industry, with a smaller share for street and home lighting. Its capacity grew from 2.1 MW in 1907 to 21.1 MW in 1913, a New Central was added in 1929-1930, from 1953 it also produced steam for industry, and it stopped working in 2001 (Wikipedia, Łódź Power Station (EC1)).

What to look for

• A 1907 power station - boiler house, turbine hall and machinery kept in place.
• Three exhibition routes - energy, civilisation and the scales of the universe.
• A large planetarium dome - among the bigger ones in Europe.
• A film culture centre - technique and history, with equipment to handle.

When to go

All year. A day.

Before you go

The separate parts have separate tickets and it adds up. Planetarium shows sell out. Very busy with school groups on weekdays in term time. Closed Mondays.

Nearby

Piotrkowska street and Manufaktura are both a short walk or tram ride away.

Key facts