It’s already been abandoned for over 20 years.
The old wastewater treatment plant of a small German town.
It was also the former water-processing unit of a huge power station
and the big tanks in the outside area of the plant are silent witnesses of the old industry.
Where thousands of liters of water had flown through the pumping system in the past,
now dominates complete silence.
In the halls of the building complex everything was left behind.
Unfortunately most of the equipment was destroyed or stolen by now but the whole place is still a sight to see.
Join us for a glimpse behind the scenes of this impressive plant.
In the end nature always wins.
The heritage of mankind won’t stand the test of time.
Even these concrete blocks are reclaimed by nature only a few years after people abandoned them.
Only from the air it becomes apparent what this is in the first place.
These are former clarifying basins which were used to reprocess water.
Several big tanks are part of this facility.
On a cold winter day we traveled to the small city in Eastern Germany
to explore this old water treatment plant.
Really quick we realized that the site had clearly seen better days.
Vandals and thieves have made sure of that.
Only a small amount of devices is still inside the plant.
Plenty of equipment has already been stolen.
Arsonists destroyed the place by starting fires in some of the rooms.
Luckily the damage caused by them is relatively small.
It’s hard to find any information about the place.
Unfortunately some of it was torn down a few years ago but the main buildings are still there.
This purification plant was probably part of the brown coal power station
that was in immediate proximity until a few years ago.
The calendars we found were supporting this theory.
They suggest that the facility was abandoned at the same time when the power plant was shut down.
The powerhouse next door was brought on stream in the 1960s.
Back then the massive building complex was the figurehead of the city.
With a workforce of several thousands of people the power plant was the region’s largest employer.
Around 70% of the townsfolk were on the payroll.
But at the same time the site caused a high level of sulphur dioxide pollution.
After the German reunification a big structural change had started which involved all aspects of life.
In the end the energy production of the powerhouse was abandoned in 1996.
Even the lignite production in the vicinity came to a halt.
Since the building complex wasn’t used any more it was planned to locate business enterprises on the property.
For that reason the power station was torn down bit by bit.
The only remnant left behind is this water-processing unit.
In the past the heated cooling water was used for carp farming.
Before the polluted warm water could be reused it needed to get purified in this sewage treatment plant first.
But due to the size of this facility we’re assuming that it didn’t only clarify the wastewater of the power station
but also the sewage of the whole city.
But some of the untreated water got into the Spree.
That’s a big river in Germany which was also a source of drinking water for the people in Berlin.
But because of the wastewater the quality of the river got worse and worse.
Finally the town arranged the construction of a new defecator.
This was the first purification plant built after the political change.
But as a result the old plant became obsolete.
To clean the different kinds of sewage this plant was used to remove the unwanted components from the water.
this plant was used to remove the unwanted components from the water.
In order to do that, mechanical and biological treatments were applied.
In our opinion, this part of the building belonged to the biological treatment.
We think that these are trickling filters.
Till today some of them are still filled with different kinds of sediments.
Bacteria which clings to these sediments were purifying the wastewater
that was dripped onto the filter from biodegradable substances in the past.
Due to the consumption of the substances the bacteria culture grew.
If the biological films caused blockage, backwash water needed to flow in from underneath.
The backwash water saturated with bacteria film was removed and fresh water was refilled.
Depending on its size and weight the sediment settled down again in their previous arrangement.
The entire process was initiated and controlled by with several units.
The huge tanks in the outside area of the wastewater treatment plant
were aeration tanks and/or secondary clarifiers.
At least we think so.
Unfortunately, we aren’t a hundred percent sure.
So if an expert is watching this video, please correct us in the comment section if we’re wrong.
Activation basins need permanent oxygen feed.
Bacteria are using this oxygen to remove the organic materials from the sewage.
There’s a lot of so called activated sludge as a result.
Final clarifiers are used to remove this sludge from the water.
In order to do that, a so called scraper is needed.
That’s this kind of bridge over the tank.
As a result the treated water can be piped back to the nature or to the powerhouse for example.
The highlight of the site in our opinion was the old pumping station.
Everywhere were pipes, valves, engines and gearwheels.
It’s real industrial porn!
And even here nature is reclaiming its habitat.
Another interesting part of the building was the room with the old switch gear and control gear.
Well, at least it was interesting some time ago.
By now the metal thieves had stripped the machines for valuable parts.
The only thing left to see here is the mold on the walls.
The level below this room didn’t look better.
Parts of the cable floor were completely trashed.
By the way: All these shots were taken in only one of the two buildings on the property.
But as you can see from the air the other one was identically constructed.
Luckily, vandalism was less severe in this building.
And so another successful urbex day came to an end.
For the technophiliac crew members this place offered an in-depth look into the process of water purification.
It’s a place rich in variety with lots of interesting things to discover.
But it’s sad to see the plant in such a bad condition.
Even if no one is interested in the place anymore we are trying to preserve its legacy.
Though it has been abandoned, it is not forgotten.
Next Sunday on this channel.
We unveil the story of an abandoned residence where all the personal stuff was left behind.
Literally everything...
Thanks for tuning in again this week.
This was another exploration made possible by our supporters over on Patreon.
The BWT army is consistently growing and that’s awesome, thanks for that!
Lots of new content is coming your way, guys!