This year, Teplárny Brno, the city’s municipal power and heating company, celebrates 95 years since its foundation. To mark the occasion, the company has created an exhibition in the Vaňkovka Gallery that will connect the history, present and future of energy production in Brno. The exhibition will run from 26 September to 14 October, and admission is free.
The past and future of energy
The exhibition at Vaňkovka will consist of information panels elaborating on the history of Teplárny Brno, technological changes, and current projects aimed at sustainable energy.
“The exhibition reveals to visitors the story of Teplárny Brno, from the first wooden poles of steam pipelines to modern charging stations for electric cars,” said Jiří Herman, chair of the Board of Directors of Teplárny Brno. “People will have a unique opportunity to look under the hood and find out how the energy that flows to them daily is produced. I believe that this will help them understand how important a role we have played in the life of the city for 95 years.”
The turbine returns to its roots
The exhibition will also include a Siemens SST-300 backpressure steam turbine, loaned from the Siemens Energy training center. This turbine is still used today, for example, in the Brno heating plants in Červený mlýn.
The exhibit will also relate the historical connection of Galerie Vaňkovka to the energy industry – steam turbines were actually manufactured in this building in the past, before production moved to Olomouc. In this way, technology that was and still remains part of Brno’s industrial tradition is symbolically returning to Vaňkovka after decades.
The celebrations will also include an interactive competition with a charitable element. Visitors can try out a rowing machine where they can test their fitness and at the same time help a good cause. Teplárny Brno will turn every kilowatt of energy produced into a financial contribution to those in need.
A fixture of the city
Teplárny Brno has come a long way since the first steam pipelines were built in 1930. Today, the company supplies heat to more than 105,000 households, schools, hospitals and institutions. In 95 years, they have also undergone major technological developments, such as the transition from coal to gas. There is more to come, as the company is currently preparing another transition to biomass, as well as a strategic heat pipeline from Dukovany, which will bring low-emission heat to Brno.
“We are proud to have been supplying energy to Brno for 95 years,” said Petr Fajmon, CEO of Teplárny Brno. “The world is changing and Teplárny with it. From eight kilometers of steam pipelines, we have grown into a modern company with almost 300 kilometers of pipelines, bold projects and a comprehensive energy ecosystem for the entire city. We want to continue to be a partner that Brno can always rely on.”
