The Beginnings of EC1

The history of Łódź's first commercial power plant began 112 years ago. It was extremely turbulent, interrupted by strikes, wars and fires, only to eventually become a source of pride for the city after all these years!

Work on EC1 began in May 1906 and was finally completed in the late summer of the following year. On September 18, 1907, electricity flowed into Łódź's grid. It was during this period that the Machine Hall was built in Art Nouveau style, currently used as an exhibition and concert hall. The extraordinarily rapid development of the power plant (even 21.1 MW in 1913) was interrupted by the outbreak of World War I, which brought unimaginable losses to Łódź's industry.

In the 1930s, in newly independent Poland, Łódź Power Plant (already 20% owned by the city) entered a new stage of its development. Construction work on the new Central facility of Łódź's power plant began in February 1929 at the present-day ul. Kilińskiego 74/76, where a year later the Brown Boveri turbine set was launched for the first time – now one of the greatest attractions of Łódź's EC1 Science and Technology Center. By 1939, the power plant's capacity had already reached 100 MW!

EC1, 2, 3 and 4!

Unfortunately, the development of Łódź's power plant industry was interrupted again by war, only to return in 1953 with the concept of building an entire network – four combined heat and power plants, which would supply power to Łódź's industry. Just seven years later, Łódź Power Plant and the newly created Combined Heat and Power Plant No. 2 formed one enterprise – the Combined Heat and Power Plant Complex. Subsequent steps taken to expand the entire enterprise led to the creation of EC3 and EC4, which made EC1 a peak-load combined heat and power plant, supporting the steam system of EC3.

Time for Renovation!

In 2000, EC1 officially ended its service to residents, and three years later it was transferred to the ownership of the city of Łódź. However, such an important part of Łódź's history could not be forgotten, and it underwent revitalization that began in 2008, creating "EC1 Łódź – City of Culture" – a magnificent Łódź cultural institution.

The renovation and modernization of the post-industrial buildings was lengthy, but adapting them to new functions was not easy. The total value of the project exceeded 265 million zloty. These funds were allocated to renovation and conservation work so that EC1 would retain its historical character.

Building of the Year 2013

The effort, strength, money and time invested in revitalizing EC1 brought fantastic results and were appreciated not only by city residents, but also by people throughout Poland. In 2013, thanks to 8313 votes from internet users, the adaptation of the historic power plant in Łódź, which is part of the so-called New Center (covering an area of approximately 100 hectares), received the prestigious title of Building of the Year!