Jochenstein power station, Hydroelectric power station at Austria-Germany border
Jochenstein power station is a run-of-river facility on the Danube, sitting on the border between Austria and Germany, between Engelhartszell and Untergriesbach. It uses the flow of the river to generate electricity and includes a lock that keeps the Danube open to river traffic.
The station was planned in the early 1950s as a joint project between Austria and Germany and started operating in 1956. It was one of the first large shared projects the two countries undertook together after World War II.
The border between Austria and Germany runs directly through the middle of the machine hall, splitting the building between two countries. Crossing the bridge on foot means stepping from one country to the other at the exact midpoint of the structure.
A bridge over the facility is open to pedestrians and cyclists and offers one of the few direct crossings between Bavaria and Austria along this stretch of the Danube. From it, you can look directly down at the river flowing through the turbine inlets below.
The station is operated by two separate companies, one on the Austrian side and one on the Bavarian side, even though the building is physically one structure. This split makes Jochenstein one of the few power stations in the world that literally has two operators sharing a single roof.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
