The former combined heat and power plant in Zabrze was purchased by the ARCHE Group in mid-2025. According to the investor, this historic complex will soon undergo a thorough revitalisation and will become the seat of, among others, the Living Museum of Energy and the Industrial Park. If everything goes according to plan, the renovated EC Zabrze will welcome its first visitors in 2028.
A new chapter for EC Zabrze
The combined heat and power plant complex covers an impressive area of over 5 hectares. It consists of 13 buildings, most of which are historic. Last year, the brick colossus was acquired by the ARCHE Group for PLN 7.4 million. This is another project by this investor in Upper Silesia, following the work already begun on the Szombierki CHP Plant in Bytom. In the case of the Zabrze facility, the investor plans to preserve its authentic, very unique character, while adapting it to new functions. One of the greatest assets of EC Zabrze is its almost complete historical equipment, which is to be displayed during the renovation.
EC Zabrze according to the ARCHE Group
According to announcements by the city and the investor, the renovated buildings will house exhibition, educational and cultural spaces, as well as catering and hotel facilities. The project is intended to complement the existing tourist offer in Zabrze, operating in the vicinity of the Guido Mine and the Queen Louise Adit, which belong to the Coal Mining Museum. The new purpose of the decommissioned combined heat and power plant is to enhance the attractiveness of the area and expand the range of available forms of sightseeing, technical education and social activities.
Over a hundred years of history of EC Zabrze
The construction of the Zabrze power plant began at the end of the 19th century on the initiative of the Berlin-based company AEG. The location of the facility was chosen due to the rich raw material resources from nearby mines. At the beginning of the 20th century, the plant was taken over by Schlesische Elektrizitäts und Gas Aktien Gesellschaft, and the dynamic development of industry drove the further development of the complex. The power plant also operated during World War II, but after 1945 it was nationalised. At that time, it was equipped with Škoda turbines, which can still be found there today. In the following decades, numerous modernisations were carried out, including the conversion of the power plant into a combined heat and power plant. The facility operated until 2018, when a new plant was launched in the north of the city. The Zabrze CHP plant was completely shut down a year later.
The Living Museum of Energy and the Industrial Park
The revitalisation of the complex is estimated at approximately PLN 70 million. The project presented by the ARCHE Group assumes minimal interference with the historic brick walls and the preservation of the visible traces of many years of use on them. The large-size furnaces will remain in place in the former boiler room, around which the Living Museum of Energy with an area of approximately 2,000 sq m will be created. The turbine hall is to be adapted into a catering space, organised among the preserved machines. The new hotel will have approximately 250 rooms, some of which will be located in the existing buildings and the rest in the new building. Next to it, an Industrial Park is planned, with a large amount of greenery, a festival area for 5,000 people and a place conducive to outdoor recreation. The entire new EC Zabrze is to function as an open space for residents, schools and social organisations.
Source:Arche Group, slazag.pl
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