The original builders of the diesel power plant are unknown, but we know that it was built based on the initiative of the owners of the Hlohovec estate – the noble Erdődy family. They acquired the land near the Nitra - Leopoldov railway line from the town of Hlohovec. In the first stage of the construction, two diesel machines with 200 horsepower and a third machine with 300 horsepower were installed. In 1912 the power plant was extended by one machine with 500 horsepower. Two years later, another 1 000-horsepower machine was added. This Hlohovec power plant thus became one of the largest privately owned power plants in the Kingdom of Hungary. In 1928, the operation was taken over by the West Slovak Power Plant (Západoslovenská elektrárňa - ZSE). Since then, it served as a reserve to cover electricity consumption at peak times. Between 1949 and 1954, the entire plant was converted into a transformer repair shop. In 1961 a special unit, the Hlohovec Transformer Repair and Calibration Plant (Opravovňa transformátorov a ciachovňa Hlohovec - OTC), was set up within the newly established enterprise West Slovak Energy Plants (Západoslovenské energetické závody). Electricity production ceased in 1967.
Today, the former power station is only used as a storage for transformers. The original buildings still exist on the site – the power plant, calibration room, inspectorate, oil management, warehouses, and administration building, which probably used to serve as a stable for horses. The architect Dušan Jurkovič authored the reconstruction designs of the power plant in 1942. He followed the characteristic appearance of the diesel power plant from the years 1908-1920. It is clear from archival documents that Dušan Jurkovič's project included warehouses, an inspectorate, and modifications to the engine room halls. The older buildings of the complex and those designed by Jurkovič keep a uniform character on the outside. They are clad in rough masonry and topped with a gabled roof. The interior spaces of the main building are illuminated by the characteristic industrial plate-glass windows.
The most interesting parts of the power plant are the halls that originally served as machine rooms. Today, it serves as a storage for transformers. The historic part is made up of two interconnecting halls. Ironically, the older hall has a newer, gable roof construction compared to the extension built a few years later – it is made of reinforced concrete trusses. The extension was built in the period up to 1920, forms the gable wall of the power station and has the original trusses of steel trusses inside. This interior section is complemented by a historic spiral staircase made of subtle steel. The historic part of the halls is joined by a newer warehouse with a flat roof built in the 1990s. It is also used for storing transformers, along with electric meters. The calibration room and the old power plant are connected by a new building, which was erected in 2018 after consulting with the Monuments Board (Pamiatkový úrad). It was designed by the Design factory Creative Group architects.
author of the description: Katarína Haberlandová
Bibliography:
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