Stillgelegte

Stillgelegte is the past participle form of the German verb stilllegen, meaning to decommission, shut down, or discontinue. Used as an adjective, it denotes that something has been closed down, usually permanently, though shutdowns can also be temporary in practice. The term is common in German-language discussions of infrastructure, industry, and public services, and it is often applied to facilities such as power plants, mines, factories, and transport networks that are no longer in operation.

As a grammatical form, stillgelegt declines as an adjective: der stillgelegte Bahnhof, die stillgelegte Brücke, die stillgelegten Anlagen. The derived noun Stilllegung refers to the act or process of decommissioning.

Decommissioning can be undertaken for safety, economic, environmental, or regulatory reasons. It typically involves assessments, securing or removing hazardous materials, dismantling or repurposing structures, and site restoration or remediation. In many cases, authorities issue licenses or orders that define the scope, timeline, and obligations for decommissioning, with some projects allowing reactivation in the future if conditions change.

Examples in German-speaking regions include decommissioned railway lines (stillgelegte Bahnstrecken), former coal mines (stillgelegte Tagebaue), and shut down nuclear or industrial plants. The term is also used in historical contexts when describing past industrial infrastructure.