The system of hydro-technical developments for water exploitation is probably the most valuable piece of industrial heritage in Banat’s mountainous region, although insufficiently known at a national level.

Over time, the products of Reșița’s steel industry—steel, rails, bridges, locomotives, turbines, etc.—were initially powered by hydraulic energy and charcoal produced from wood transported via waterways, and later by hydroelectric energy. As a result, a system of over 100 km of canals developed around Reșița, including dozens of tunnels, metal and rock aqueducts, flow-regulating sluices, six reservoirs, and five hydroelectric power plants. Today, this hydro-technical system in the upper basin of the Bârzava River represents an unparalleled piece of industrial heritage in Romania and remains operational.

In the summer of 2022, we organized an open house at the Grebla Hydroelectric Power Plant, the core and highlight of this hydro-technical system. We also hosted a public exhibition in the city center about this industrial heritage and arranged themed tours along the canals and water conduits, with the support of TMK Hidroenergy, the current owner of this network. In total, we facilitated access for over 250 visitors to sites that are typically inaccessible or difficult to reach for the general public.

Additionally, we organized a public debate that, for the first time, brought together local officials, the network owner, relevant local and national institutions, and civil society. This interaction revealed both a tremendous potential and an urgent need for mediation and strategic preservation of this water-based industrial heritage. Since this heritage is still in use, there is a natural tension between operational safety restrictions and the opportunities for tourism development—raising risks both for people and the infrastructure itself.

Browse the exhibition featuring archival photos on the development of this hydro-technical system: The Story of Water: The Aqueducts and Canals of Bârzava – Virtual Museum.

“The Invisible City. Part 1: The Story of Water.” The project’s goal was to promote the tangible heritage of the hydrotechnical system in the upper Bârzava basin through awareness campaigns, institutional debates, and the collection and digitization of multimedia archives, which have been made available on the Virtual Museum of Reșița platform: www.muzeulvirtualresita.ro.

“The Invisible City. Part 1: The Story of Water” was a project co-financed by the Administration of the National Cultural Fund (AFCN). The project does not necessarily reflect AFCN’s position. AFCN is not responsible for its content or how the project’s results may be used. These are entirely the responsibility of the grant beneficiary.