Distribuční trafostanice Kfely Trafostation

Distribuční trafostanice Kfely is a former trafostation protected today by the status of the real cultural monument of the Karlovy Vary Region. It was built in 1910, during the period when the electrification of the Czech country had only developed. The construction was not random: it was used to adjust the voltage of electricity, which came from a small thermal power plant operated by Franz Roßmeissla's leather factory in the nearby Upper Slavkov.

The leather factory was an electric mover in the area. She needed energy for her machines and gradually created her own source - a thermal power plant. The Kfel Trafostation thus served a practical purpose: it changed the high voltage from the power plant to the lower for production needs. The factory itself operated until the mid-1920s, which means that the transformer station was in its work at the time of the biggest expansion of industrial activity. It is assumed that the Trafostation was fulfilling its purpose even longer - probably until the 1960s when it was replaced by a new Trafostation built directly in Kfela.

What makes this building particularly valuable to the history of technology is its structural character. This is an exceptional transition between two types of trafostation structures. On the one hand there are older, simpler sheets of kiosk transformer - and there are few in the Czech Republic today, only two: one in Kadani and the other in White. On the other hand, the typical masonry of the tower transphostation of the newer era. Kfels represent a bridge between these two architectural solutions.

The construction is also valuable because it comes from before the so-called electric bill. This means that it was not built according to uniform standards and regulations which later controlled the construction of electrical equipment. It's a unique building, unnormalized, and that's why it's so rare. Every detail of its construction reveals how the electricians and builders at the time had to deal with new technical tasks without a единнnom methodology. Trafostation is thus not only a functional building, but also a living witness to the historical development of the high voltage distribution system in the Czech Republic.

Today, it can be seen as a silent seductions: a small structure in fields that have not had its original mission for decades, yet remains in the landscape and protected as памятник. Its protected status is an expression of recognition of its cultural and historical importance. For a visitor of interesting industrial past and technical heritage, this transphostation is an interesting window until the time when electricity was only being promoted in Czech countries and when the foundations of modern infrastructure were being built. > > > >