The heating plant was built in 1923 on behalf of the two textile manufacturers Franz and Kurt Avellis to generate steam for their cloth factory. In 1933 the city of Forst bought the plant in order to also supply the other textile factories in the city with hot steam via a pipeline network. Steam was generated in boilers fired with brown coal. The coal required for this was initially delivered via the Forst city railway “Schwarze Jule” and later by truck. The heating plant was shut down in 1995. Many of the technical facilities remain inside, including the complete coal bunker equipment, as well as both boilers (a Babcock boiler and a La-Mont boiler) with their associated systems. The buildings of the heating plant were used by a climbing club until 2019. This club also organized tours about the history, architecture, and technology of the site, such as on Open Monument Day. It’s only possible to visit this place through official means, since it is normally completely sealed shut.
