Forgotten Industrial Heritage in Virtual Reality—Case Study: Old Power Plant in Piešt’any, Slovakia

Abstract An industrial heritage provides one of the most important records of urban development and of the progress of human civilization in the last two centuries. Monumental industrial buildings reflect extraordinary technical and economic development and progress in science and technology. Even after the termination of their original function, industrial heritage buildings and equipment, along with their architecture, still participate in a significant way in the atmosphere of many cities. The research process in our study used the methods of industrial archaeology. In combination with the identified preserved and still valuable parts of the building and preserved original equipment and archival plans, it was possible to reconstruct the hypothetical virtual appearance of the historical monument. For this purpose, the article examines the case study: virtual reality reconstruction of the Old Power Plant in the city of Piešt’any. The contribution of a brief experience in the VR scene of Machinery Hall in the exhibition with its high immersion, located in the historical environment of the original Machinery Hall, had an educational effect (understanding by experience), bringing out the look and functionality of the lost industrial heritage. This effect appears to be an appropriate and meaningful use of VR in practice.