Wasserkraftwerk Gschröff

Via the new pedestrian Traun bridge at the museum entrance, visitors to the museum reach another industrial-historical gem of a special kind. Not a ruin from the pioneering days of technology, not a rusty, decommissioned plant. No, a fully functional small power plant, largely preserved in its original condition from the turn of the last century, built in the years 1888 to 1889 – the first hydroelectric power plant built in Austria. And it still supplies electricity to the UPM Steyrermühl paper mill, as do the three other historical power plants, which are no longer entirely in their original condition and were purchased by Energie AG – all built between 1878 and 1923.A few facts for the technical insider: • 3 Voith-Francis turbines, built in 1906 and 1922 • Gross head 2.75 m • Net head 2.35 m • Flow capacity 26 m3 / sec total • Turbine output 470 KW at normal water flow, 80 KW at minimum water flow • Generator output 880 KVA Beyond net head and flow capacity - Gschröff is a technical Gesamtkunstwerk (total work of art) of the 19th century: Artfully decorated drive wheels, pointers in gleaming brass, wall paneling in marble, lamps in floral Art Nouveau style, noble measuring instruments – in short, the romantic fascination of mechanics. The UPM Steyrermühl paper mill made the power plant accessible to the public as part of the Upper Austrian State Exhibition. After its acquisition in 2017, Energie AG overhauled the plant and looks forward to your visit to the show power plant. You can reach the Gschröff show power plant by crossing the Traun via the wooden bridge at the Papermaking Museum and then walking approximately 350 meters downstream.