Control Room A

Control Room A is an abandoned art deco-styled control room of a steam power plant, a part of rich but almost forgotten industrial history.

This steam power plant, with its stunning art deco-styled control room, is a valuable surviving example of Romania’s early industrial heritage. The plant was built as part of a large industrial complex that developed during the Habsburg period. Inside the control room, old switches and gauges remain intact under the multileveled glass ceiling, covered in dirt and decay. 

The industrial history of this town, where this power plant is located, dates back to the 18th century. Rich natural resources were found in the area and with new industrial technologies such as iron processing and railway development, the expanding industry had a need for a reliable supply of energy. The electric plant was constructed at the end of the 19th century and the steam produced in the plant was used in the workshops, machinery and the surrounding industrial settlement.

During the 20th century, especially after the Second World War, the industrial system was reorganised under the Romanian state. From the late communist period onwards, the importance of the old industries gradually declined and the collapse of local heavy industry after 1989 led to the abandonment of many industrial facilities. 

Unlike many industrial buildings this electric plant survived with much of its historic character intact. The surviving steam engines, generators and especially the control room, are rare examples of late 19th-century industrial technology and make the building a significant monument of industrial archaeology, and also an interesting visit for urban explorers.