Partying at Nuclear Power Plant

In the small village Zwentendorf close to Vienna on the bank of Danube there is the world’s only nuclear power plant to have been completed but never put into operation due to the outcome of a national referendum held in 1978.

The Zwentendorf Nuclear Power Plant was the first out of 3 planed nuclear plants in Austria. It never entered service and the construction of the other 2 nuclear plants was cancelled. The NPP was used as a spare parts dispenser for other 3 NPP of the same kind in Germany, however, they also have been decommissioned in 2011. This 1.02 billion € failed investment is the biggest economic disturbance in later Austrian economic history.

Since the referendum and the silent liquidation in 1985 an inactive nuclear power plant with more than 1,000 rooms has been venue for different events and hosted different musical festivals and fashion shows. It was also shooting location for different music videos and 2 feature films German “Restrisiko” and the French-Austrian “RZ2 – Grand Central”. From 1999 to 2002, the facility served as the venue for the Nuke Music Festival and from 2012 to 2014 for the TOMORROW Festival.

Every Friday since 2010 free guided tours are offered for everyone, so if you are close and want something out of ordinary visit Zwentendorf.