VILNIUS HEAT PLANT NR. 2

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The construction of the Vilnius Thermal Power Plant No. 2, which started in 1948, was an important facility for Vilnius during recovery from the war. At that time, the chimneys of the power plant became the first attractions for visitors to the city and a sign of the capital’s revival. The location of the power plant was chosen for a reason – it is strategically located for accessing fuel via the city’s roads and the Neris River, with plenty of room for potential development.

The main building of the power plant is a red brick structure with a rational and very restrained architecture, marking the end of the individuality of industrial architecture. The façade of the building is decorated with the original bricks of the Palemonas ceramics factory, marked with a label of authenticity. Later industrial buildings of various kinds became identifiable only by the chimneys, lifts and other technological equipment that marked their specific function. The vast area combines aesthetic elements from the interwar period, the legacy of Soviet industrialisation and modern technological solutions.

The power plant, nicknamed “the monster” by its workers, is like a heart, supplying heat and hot water to more than 200,000 customers through 758 km of pipelines acting like arteries. It is one of the most interesting industrial facilities in the Baltic States, which ensures the comfort of the city’s residents.