Eber’s water towers 2005

The leading trade journal in Sweden, VA-tidskriften Cirkulation has since 1998 an article series under the heading Ebers vattentorn (Eber’s water towers), where Eber Ohlsson with text and photo presents interesting water towers in the world (except Scania and Sweden). Below is a free translation to English of these texts.


Eber’s water towers in Cirkulation 1/2005

A free translation to English:

Master Engineer G Oesten in Berlin, Germany got in May 1901 by the city of Flensburg in Schleswig a commission to construct a water tower at the existing water works in Mühlenstrasse. This because the supply in the upper pressure zone in the fjord city need to be better. 170 000 Gold mark was allowed to the building.

The building work started in autumn 1901 and was finished in August 1902. The pattern brick-built water tower become 29 m high and got a reservoir on 350 m³. At the final account in August 1902 made it plain that the building work was below the budget with circa 30 000 Gold mark, an experience grant few customer.

Published 2005-02-09


Eber’s water towers in Cirkulation 2/2005

A free translation to English:

Shout it from the housetops that water is a gift of God! That was perhaps the thought when architect A Tusek and engineer Josef Franzl shaped the water tower in the district Vinohrady in the Czech capital Prague. On a cornice stands here trumpet-angels in all corners of the tower and communicate the message.

It has not been saved of the front decoration on the new-renaissance tower from 1891, the only that is modest is the volume of the reservoir on 200 m³. The seven floor high tower, with a belvedere on the top, was taken out of duty 1962 and has after that been rebuilt to dwellings. The year 1993 was there made a reconstruction of the fronts and repair works of the clocks.

Published 2005-03-16


Eber’s water towers in Cirkulation 3/2005

A free translation to English:

Water towers is solid buildings that stand strong even when the storm is whistling as most, which become verified when the writer 1992 saw a picture in a foreign colleague to the journal Cirkulation. The picture was photographed after the ravages of the hurricane Andrew in the south Florida the 24th August 1992 and showed an intact water tower in the middle of demolished houses and overthrow trees.

The tower with the often occurring American city name painting was known, because it had been photographed in April the same year, but at that time surrounded by wooded verdure in a prosperous community. The natural forces may be strong, but sometimes they can’t beat water towers.

Published 2005-04-27


Eber’s water towers in Cirkulation 4/2005

A free translation to English:

An ideal tower founded 1593, with a water tower in Art Nouveau from 1914-15 situated northwest Trieste in Italy. That is the tower of Palmanova; once time founded as a Venice frontier stronghold and built as what they at that time thought was a Roman ideal plan.

In the renaissance nine-sided town the streets converge radial some blocks from the hexagonal squire. It is described in the most textbooks in town geography or town planning. In the end of one of the radial streets a concrete water tower is standing, planned by engineer Schiavi. The tower, with a reservoir on 250 m³, was out of duty in the 1990s.

Published 2005-06-08


Eber’s water towers in Cirkulation 5/2005

Wasserturm = water tower.

A free translation to English:

In the water tower in the district Bruderholz of the Swiss city Basel wind the up and the down-staircase along the inner walls as two screw spirals. The 35 meter high tower in Art Deco-style from 1926, drawn by the architect Emil Vischer, got 2001 a lighter tint than the photo from 1984.

There are reservoirs of 500 m³ under the tower for a lower zone, and a reservoir of 320 m³ under the belvedere for a higher zone. To pass the entrance gate of the tower a less fee must be put down in a collection box. In the nearby Café Wasserturm was it possible at least in former time to enjoy of water that has passed coffee beans or tea leaf.

Published 2005-08-24


Eber’s water towers in Cirkulation 6/2005

The English expression “it’s up the creek” correspond to the Swedish double-edged expression “uppåt väggarna”=”up to the walls”.

A free translation to English:

Was the Tower of Babel a water tower? The opposite condition was in any case the idea of the architect Christian de Portzamparcs, when he draws his first order, a water tower in the new region Marne-le-Vallèe, east of Paris.

The tower should be located in a roundabout in Noisiel, and the solution by the architect was not only a water tower in concrete but even a surrounded lattice work that alluded to the known Bible illustration of Gustave Doré. The lattice work should be covered by winding plants and produce the illusion of hanging gardens. A water tower built 1971 there the green is up the creek.

Published 2005-09-28


Eber’s water towers in Cirkulation 7/2005

A free translation to English:

There is usually sparring with water towers of the greatest distinction on the Vulcan islands, because the topography here gives good preferences to the alternative of ground reservoirs. One exception that confirms the rule is standing in Santa Cruz on the Tenerife Island. Here is a big oil refinery situated, the oldest in Spain, with a very common standard steel water tower.

The question is if the function of the water tower nowadays is the primary, there it is standing on the approach of the motorway to the city. It has probably more the function of sign stand to the big oil company CEPSA that here present both time and temperature in digital form, but probably never need to present minus degrees.

Published 2005-11-02


Eber’s water towers in Cirkulation 8/2005

Lolland is an island in Denmark.

A free translation to English:

In the southernmost and smallest town in Denmark, Nysted in Lolland was 1912-13 a 35 meter high water tower with a reservoir on 94 m³ erected. The yellow plastered weakly conical concrete tower with white cornices, an entrance in new baroque and a red sixteen side mansard roof of tiles, was designed by architect Alf. Jørgensen and engineer Georg Jochumsen.

The tower that was in duty until 1976 was renovated 1977 and 1988. Thereafter house it exhibitions and give visitors possibility to walk up and admire the view under the summer months. It became the sixth water tower that was declared as a monument.

Published 2005-12-07


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