Object of the Month – March 2026

Model of Greifswald / Lubmin Nuclear Power Plant

The model was on display from 1966 to 1992 at the Polytechnical Museum in Schwerin, the predecessor of the phanTECHNIKUM. Construction of the Greifswald-Lubmin Nuclear Power Plant began in 1967, following the Rheinsberg plant (1966), making it the second nuclear power station in the GDR. Four reactor blocks were commissioned between 1974 and 1980, at times supplying around 10% of the GDR’s electricity. Unlike the model, the reactors had flat ceilings rather than domes.

During the 1960s and 1970s, nuclear power was regarded in both East and West as a safe and clean source of energy. It was only after major reactor accidents – in Harrisburg (1979), Chernobyl (1986) and Fukushima (2011) – that it became clear the risks of nuclear power are difficult to control, with the potential for long-term radioactive contamination of large regions.

By the late 1980s, blocks 1 to 4 were no longer safe to operate. The steel of the reactor pressure vessels had become brittle due to continuous neutron irradiation, and the safety systems were outdated. For this reason, construction of a more modern reactor, Block 5, began as early as 1977; it was only in operation from March to November 1989. Block 6 was completed in 1989 but was never loaded with fuel rods, and is therefore safe to visit today. The final reactor block was shut down in 1990.

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