The Dlouhé Stráně pumped storage hydroelectric plant in the Šumperk District isn’t your usual power plant. It’s exceptional for a number of reasons. It’s the largest hydro power plant in the Czech Republic, with the largest reverse water turbine in Europe, and became a “Wonder of the Czech Republic” in a 2005 reader’s poll in the newspaper iDnes. Tens of thousands of tourists descend into its bowels every year and the power plant is very amenable to filmmakers too.
About three meters was taken off the top of Dlouhé Stráně Mountain during the construction of the power plant’s upper reservoir. A mound next to the reservoir marks the original height of the mountain. Photo: ČEZ, a.s.
“In general, filming at the Dlouhé Stráně pumped storage hydroelectric power plant isn’t a problem as long as production isn’t affected. What makes it so unique are the upper reservoir and its panoramic views and ever-changing weather, as well as the approximately ten kilometers of underground corridors in the main part of the plant,” says Vladislav Sobol, spokesman for the ČEZ Group, owners of the plant.
Construction of the power plant began in 1978 and it was finally put into operation in 1996. It was designed as an underground construction – including two turbines located in the bowels of the mountain (in a cavern measuring 87.5 x 25.5 x 50 m), transformers (in a chamber measuring 115 x 16 x 21.7 m), technical facilities, and kilometers of tunnels and corridors.
Outside at ground level, there is a maintenance building with control room, a building for the power take-out array with metal-clad switchgear, workshops, warehouses, garages, a wastewater treatment facility, water treatment facility, and of course the two reservoirs. These have been successfully integrated into the surrounding countryside, creating a harmonious whole.
The lower reservoir on the Divoká Desná River, at 825 m above sea level, has a total volume of 3.4 million cubic meters of water. The upper reservoir is located at 1350 m above sea level at the top of Dlouhé Stráně Mountain and holds 2.72 million cubic meters of water.
“The Dlouhé Stráně power plant is an amazing and unusual location, both for the nature that surrounds it and the breathtaking views, but in particular for its unique underground spaces, which I can imagine could be used for all sorts of original, exciting scenes,” says Lenka Dusová from the Jeseníky Film Office.
“And one more point of interest – you can ride downhill on a scooter from the upper reservoir along a 17-kilometer track with an elevation change of 485 m. It’s the longest downhill on a scooter in the Czech Republic, so why not use it for something like a chase scene?” says Dusová with a smile.
For more information about filming in the Jeseníky and Olomouc Regions, please contact the Jeseníky Film Office, which operates under the Jeseníky Tourism Association. Contact: Lenka Dusová, dusova@jeseniky.cz, +420 608 119 093.