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„the unterbecken project“

Pumpspeicherwerk Markersbach

I’ve been visiting the Unterbecken in Markersbach/ Ore Mountains for about 10 years now. It is part of the Vattenfall energy corporation, which also runs a couple of other hydroelectric water plants. The Markersbach plant was built between 1970 and 1981 and has been operational until today.

It works according to a very simple mechanism: At an altitude of approximately 850 meters, an artificial reservoir was built (the upper reservoir). The water is funneled through a system of pipes and powers the turbines, which in turn create electricity. The water then flows into the lower reservoir of the former Nitzschhammertal, only to be pumped up again using the cheap electricity prices at night.

This is no trick. One could consider it “magic,” though, that what now constitutes the lower reservoir and what was formerly known as the Nitzschammertal used to be a small settlement. Okay, quite a few settlements disappeared in Germany thanks to the industry depriving them of their space — but what is the real magic here?

Read the full text at the Field Notes #1 Magazine

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This is an uncomplete serie of recordings I've made over the years. They are mostly static. It's a documentation, nothing more. I decided to finish this project in this summer 2008. This place lost some the magic I felt before. This has some personal reasons and on the other hand, the company invest much in making this place unattractive. Mostly they changed the natural environment around the powerstation and they installed an annoying air ventilation, which fill the place with a very nasty noise. It's sad but the „Unterbecken“ is not longer enjoyable for me.
I keep my memories and escape from there.

m.o. july 2008

Unterbecken

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unterbecken_einlauf.jpg
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Oberbecken

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oberbecken_scheibenberger_str.jpg
unterbecken_einlauf.jpg

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  • last change: 2008/10/08
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