Hydroelectric Power Plant Dlouhé stráně (1978-1996): From 'A Relic of Socialist Megalomania' to 'The Greatest Wonder of the Czech Republic'
Abstract
In 1978, the construction of the Dlouhé stráně pumped hydroelectric energy storage began in Czechoslovakia. As the most suitable location, the mountain landscape of the Jeseníky Landscape Park (Silesia) was chosen - an artificial water reservoir with a power plant was to be built at the summit of the Dlouhé stráně mountain. The construction was suspended several times due to lacking funds. It was revived after the fall of communism (1989) and finalized in the mid-1990s. Since then, Dlouhé stráně has maintained its popularity as a tourist destination and an exceptional technical work. In 2005, the building became the winner of the "Greatest Wonder of the Czech Republic" poll.
First, using the example of Dlouhé stráně, the paper offers an alternative to the stereotypical interpretation of state socialism as a regime seemingly ignoring ecological issues, and proves that environmental issues have been articulated since the 1970s in socialist Czechoslovakia. Second, it relativizes the idea of a certain specificity of the "socialist" approach to nature. It emphasizes that the construction of Dlouhé stráně spanned two state regimes, and it was the period of renewed democracy and capitalism that enabled the successful completion of the "socialist" construction. Third, it analyses public discussions about the technical work in a protected mountain landscape, which culminated among the Czech public at the turn of the millennium, and which can be understood as a reflection of changing social values and its relationship to nature.