The old water tower is a historic water tower belonging to the municipal water supply network of

Bydgoszcz, Poland Bydgoszcz ( , , ; german: Bromberg) is a city in northern Poland, straddling the meeting of the River Vistula with its left-bank tributary, the Brda. With a city population of 339,053 as of December 2021 and an urban agglomeration with more ...

. Its importance in the local history has been acknowledged in 1986 by a registering on the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship Heritage List.

Location

The tower stands on the southern hills of the city, part of a green park, the municipal ''Henryk Dąbrowski Park'' ( pl, Park Henryka Dąbrowskiego w Bydgoszczy). Its formal location is 2 Filarecka street.

History

At the end of the 19th century, following the dramatic economic and demographic development of the city, necessary municipal investments had to be carried out, such as a gasworks plant (1860), horse-powered tram lines (1888), an electrical power plant (1896) and a water supply and sewage network (1890s). Till that time, people could only get water from wooden wells built in the 1880s for city districts away from the

Brda river The Brda (; german: Brahe) is a river in northern Poland, a tributary of the Vistula. It has a total length of 245 km and a catchment area (all within Poland) of 4,665 km2.Bromberg Bydgoszcz ( , , ; german: Bromberg) is a city in northern Poland, straddling the meeting of the River Vistula with its left-bank tributary, the Brda. With a city population of 339,053 as of December 2021 and an urban agglomeration with more ...

authorities started working on the design and construction of a new water supply and sewage network, first geological surveys began and a geological map of Bydgoszcz was issued. Specific construction works were carried out between 1898 and 1899, laying down a network of 30 of waterpipe up to the

water tower A water tower is an elevated structure supporting a water tank constructed at a height sufficient to pressurize a water distribution system, distribution system for potable water, and to provide emergency storage for fire protection. Water towe ...

. In 1900, the city supply system comprised 20 deep wells in the northern municipal forest ( pl, Las Gdański) from which water was pumped out using a gas-driven contraption scheme into the network and the water tower. The network also included a capacity reservoir with a dual role: * collecting water during the period of minimum consumption; * supplementing the network shortages during rush hour. The present tower was erected from 1899 to 1900, on a design by architect Franz Marshall. The construction work was carried out by the firm ''Wilhelm Rothe & Cie''. The edifice location was chosen with care, on the edge of the city southern hill, overlooking the old town. In 1894,

Lewin Louis Aronsohn Lewin Louis Aronsohn (1850–1928) was a German banker of Jewish origin. As a liberal politician, he was a member of the regional parliament of the Province of Posen (nowadays Poznań), the Prussian House of Representatives and the Prussian Cons ...

became the administrator of the tower. As a matter of fact, thanks to its situation, the tower was also regularly used as a city viewpoint. Before long, a viewing platform was constructed on the conical roof, which could be accessed for a fee of 10

pfennig The 'pfennig' (; . 'pfennigs' or ; symbol pf or ₰) or penny is a former German coin or note, which was the official currency from the 9th century until the introduction of the euro in 2002. While a valuable coin during the Middle Ages, i ...

s in Prussia time, then 10 grosze during

interwar In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days), the end of the First World War to the beginning of the Second World War. The interwar period was relativel ...

. After

WWII World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, a pumping station was built next to the tower, allowing to supply water to the households on the heights of Bydgoszcz, for the districts of ''Błonie'', ''Szwederowo'', ''Wzgórze Wolności'', '' Wyżyny'', ''Kapuściska''. At that time, the vantage platform ceased to be used, before being finally decommisionned in 1990. In 1991, a rehabilitation of the building enabled the housing of the ''Water tower artistic Association'' ( pl, Stowarzyszenie Artystyczne Wieża Ciśnień), gathering together artists, art historians, critics and other people associated with Bydgoszcz cultural life. The tower became a meeting place for artistic exhibitions and happenings Today, the tower is the property of ''Bydgoszcz

waterworks Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavors or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes. Public water supply systems are crucial to properly functioning societies. Thes ...

municipal company'' ( pl, Miejskie Wodociągi i Kanalizacja w Bydgoszczy). The firm has renovated and adapted the building for the benefit of the ''Bydgoszcz Waterworks History Museum'' ( pl, Muzeum Wodociągów w Bydgoszczy) which opened on 30 October 2012. The monument is now part of an educational trail starting at the historic pump station in the northern municipal forest district. Inside the water tower are exhibited, among others, wooden waterpipes, ancient bathrooms, old toilets furnishings, archival pictures photos and documents. Multimedia kiosks with digitally saved information about city waterworks are also available to visitors. The entire external building facade has been equipped with an advanced evolving illuminating system. One of the tower level is devoted to temporary exhibitions. The high observation gallery has been refitted and enable visitors to enjoy a unique panorama view of Bydgoszcz old town.

Architecture

The water tower has a squat, brick cylindrical body with a strong reminiscence of neo-gothic forms. The tank was located in the top circular

bay window A bay window is a window space projecting outward from the main walls of a building and forming a bay in a room. Types Bay window is a generic term for all protruding window constructions, regardless of whether they are curved or angular, or r ...

. Outside

cornice In architecture, a cornice (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge") is generally any horizontal decorative moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, around the top edge of a ...

s under the bay window and the bay window itself are richly decorated. All the openings display a lanceolate shape, highlighting the gothic inspiration. The upper part containing the nonextant reservoir boasts high windows, an adorned attic, a pseudo- battlement and running motifs friezes. The

gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...

roof is crowned with a conical roof topped by a ridge turret, enclosed by the round observation deck. Part of the interior decoration is still visible: walls with wood

panelling Panelling (or paneling in the U.S.) is a millwork wall covering constructed from rigid or semi-rigid components. These are traditionally interlocking wood, but could be plastic or other materials. Panelling was developed in antiquity to make roo ...

and colorful

stained glass Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...

windows.

Gallery

File:Bdg wiezacisnien 2 10-2013.jpg, The tower at 2 Filarecka street File:Bdg wiezacisnien 3 07-2013.jpg, Detail of the reservoir decoration File:Wodociągowa wieża ciśnień, (16).JPG, Entrance to the tower File:Wieża Ciśnień galeria.jpg, Detail of the ridge turret File:Bdg viewfromwatertower view11-18 8.jpg, View from the platform File:Wieża ciśnień w Bydgoszczy widok nocą.jpg, Illuminated tower File:Wodociągowa wieża ciśnień, (3).jpg, Illuminated tower File:Wanna kąpielowa - ekspozycja ze zbiorów muzealnych.jpg, Item exhibited at the museum

References

Bibliography

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External links

Water museum in Bydgoszcz

Bydgoszcz waterworks municipal company

Bydgoszcz Waterworks History Museum
{{coord, 53, 07, 10, N, 17, 59, 25, E, source:wikimapia, display=title Cultural heritage monuments in Bydgoszcz