Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Serbia Vucje Vucje Hydroelectric Plant

Vucje Hydroelectric Plant

Operating continuously since 1903, this "milestone" facility transformed the regional economy.

Vucje, Serbia

Added By
kimiki88
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
The main hydroelectric building.   http://sr.wikipedia.org/sr-el/%D0%A1%D0%BB...
  GinaSA / Atlas Obscura User
  GinaSA / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Included on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) list of electrical facility "milestones" in 2005, the Vucje hydroelectric plant has been operating continuously since 1903. The plant was the first in southern Serbia and the largest in the broader region. (The "milestones" list includes only a handful of European facilities, most of which were the work of several individuals who names are recognizable to those without an interest in electricity, including Franklin and Marconi.)

Recognizing the potential of alternating current in providing reliable electricity, the Leskovac Electric Society formed in 1901. With their eyes trained on the powerful Vucjanka River, the group brought together 150 stockholders to raise capital to finance the building of the Vucje hydroelectric plant. Djordje Stanojevic, a friend of Nikola Tesla, was intimately involved in the project, which is considered responsible for making the Serbian capital one of the first capitals in Europe to be illuminated by hydroelectric power.

By transmitting alternating current of 50 hertz at 7000 volts, which was high for the period of construction, the Vucje was able to transform the regional economy. 

Related Tags

Museums And Collections Strange Science Water Instruments Of Science Electrical Oddities

Know Before You Go

A few kilometers above Vucje in Leskovac on the Vučjanka River.

Atlas Obscura Adventures

Balkans Road Trip: Serbia, Croatia & Bosnia and Herzegovina

Traverse the beauty and history of the Balkans through locals' stories.

Book Now

Community Contributors

Added By

kimiki88

Edited By

GinaSA, leiris

  • GinaSA
  • leiris

Published

September 8, 2010

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • IEEE Global History Network: Milestones: Vucje Hydroelectric Plant, 1903: http://www.ieeeghn.org/wiki/index.php/Milestones:Vucje_Hydroelectric_Plant,_1903
  • Panoramio: Photo of Hydroelectric Plant: http://www.panoramio.com/photo/10883474
  • Jat Airways: First Serbian Water-Powered Plants: http://web.jatairways.info/active/fr/home/main_menu/travel_info/jat_review/avgust_2009/prve_srpske_hidrocentrale.html
Vucje Hydroelectric Plant
Vučjanka River
Vucje
Serbia
42.85259, 21.91576
Visit Website

Nearby Places

Vucjanka River

Vucje, Serbia

miles away

Devil's Town Rock Formation

Kuršumlija, Serbia

miles away

Bubanj Memorial Park

Niš, Serbia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Vucje

Vucje

Serbia

Places 2

Nearby Places

Vucjanka River

Vucje, Serbia

miles away

Devil's Town Rock Formation

Kuršumlija, Serbia

miles away

Bubanj Memorial Park

Niš, Serbia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Vucje

Vucje

Serbia

Places 2

Related Places

  • Chemical Heritage Foundation, street view.

    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

    Science History Institute

    Instruments, apparatus, and rare books all relating to chemistry and its related sciences.

  • HAARP Antenna Grid with Electrical Transformers

    Gakona, Alaska

    H.A.A.R.P.

    An auroral research program that superheats the ionosphere.

  • Tesla Coil

    Los Angeles, California

    Griffith Observatory's Tesla Coil

    High on a hill overlooking Los Angeles lives a world famous, high power conical Tesla Coil.

  • A model of the Marconi’s original Table Head station at Glace Bay.

    Glace Bay, Nova Scotia

    Marconi National Historic Site

    Site of the first official transatlantic wireless communications.

  • At Star City’s Hydro Lab, an entire mock spacecraft is submerged in a tank filled with water, the density of which helps to recreate the feeling of weightlessness for cosmonauts.

    Shchyolkovo, Russia

    Star City

    Secret Soviet city once home to Russian cosmonauts and space training facilities.

  • Atomic Testing Museum, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

    Las Vegas, Nevada

    Atomic Museum

    Stepping away from the glitz of mobsters and casinos to learn about the other history of Vegas.

  • New York, New York

    MoMath - The Museum of Mathematics

    A Pythagorean funhouse that tries, successfully, to prove that math is the coolest thing ever.

  • The table on display at the Rochester Historical Society

    Rochester, New York

    The Table That Could Talk To The Dead

    The Fox Sisters, America's leading mediums in the mid-19th century, possessed a table they claimed helped them "communicate" with the dead.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.