Eber’s water towers 2017

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 1/2017

A free translation to English:

The Hague or as it is officially called ‘s-Gravenhage, the city there the government in Netherlands is located. North of the city’s coastal community Scheveningen are vast sand dunes, which not has been built on because they have been used for the filtration of drinking water. Here stands since 1874 a water tower with two reservoirs, one upper of 1 000 m³ and one bottom of 1 200 m³.

The 49-meter high tower in neo-classical style is designed by architects L. A. Brouwer and Thy. Stang. The tower, which is still in operation, was in poor condition when the writer saw it in the 1980s, but is now as the picture showing restored to its former glory.

Published 2017-02-08


Eber’s water towers in Cirkulation 2/2017

A free translation to English:

The city of Newberry, South Carolina, in the United States, 50 kilometers from the state capital, Columbia, may have found their variant of answer on the parable Columbus egg, when they built their water tower. They have placed the egg on its pointed end, by placing it on a classic steel water tower foot. The egg is also provided with the egg stamp text “Newberry County – Milk and Egg Capital”.

What surprises can then egg in this self-proclaimed egg capital give? Eggs are considered to be popular fertility-affecting, so what happens if you drink the water? Probably nothing, because Newberry still is a small town.

Published 2017-03-15


Eber’s water towers in Cirkulation 3/2017

A free translation to English:

Hartmann Freiherr von Richthofen bought in 1920 the castle Gotthard in Rotenburg/Wümme in the German Lower Saxony. Immediately, he began rebuilding and expansion of the estate, where he at the main road southwards towards Verden built a water tower house for the estate’s water supply.

On the top of the tower was there originally a windmill that could give power to the water-pumping. Now is the windmill gone as well as the 1972 demolished castle, while the house with the large water tower is still standing. If the name von Richthofen sounds familiar, is it probably because of the cousin Manfred von Richthofen, better known as the flying ace Red Baron.

Published 2017-04-19


Eber’s water towers in Cirkulation 4/2017

A free translation to English:

In the old Estonian town Karksi-Nuia, near the border with Latvia, standing since 1994, 35-meter high water tower with four tanks, each holding 30 m³ giving a total volume of 120 m³. It is a Latvian company that constructed these standard water towers, with varying numbers of tanks.

In Latvia can be found water towers with both two, three, four tanks arranged in the same manner as in Karksi-Nuia. In the tiny town of Ape in northeastern Latvia standing next to each other, three water towers, each with three tanks, for a total of nine tanks. The question is whether it is the optimal solution?

Published 2017-06-08


Eber’s water towers in Cirkulation 5/2017

A free translation to English:

On the southern outskirts of the Appalachians, in the state of Georgia in United States lies the city of Rome. Like its namesake in Europe is the city situated on seven hills and is traversed by a watercourse. There is also a replica of the sculpture of Romulus and Remus, a gift from Mussolini in 1929. But there ceases probably the similarities between the cities.

At Neely Hill was built in 1871 a water tower, which held 950 m³ of water and at the following year came the clock tower, with dials in all points of the compass, and the tower then got a height of 32 m. Since 1995 is the water tower museum. Although this city is not eternal, we must hope that the beautiful water tower will stand and the clock goes.

Published 2017-08-30


Eber’s water towers in Cirkulation 6/2017

A free translation to English:

The Irish veterinarian and inventor John Boyd Dunlop was the one who got the patent for the pneumatic ring. His first overseas factory was built in Hanau, a town just east of Frankfurt am Main in Germany. The current plant was built in 1903 and the water tower ten years later.

World War II bombing raids brought havoc to the German cities and industries, and in 1945 became the whole Dunlop factory in Hanau completely destroyed at such a raid – everything except the water tower. The factory is now rebuilt and in the center of the factory area boasts the water tower with the company name and logo on the reservoir facade.

Published 2017-10-04


Eber’s water towers in Cirkulation 7/2017

A free translation to English:

Great Western Railway is a legendary railway in England. It had traffic from Paddington station in London and westward. Chief engineer was the famous Isambard Kingdom Brunel, who chose the broad-gauge of 2 134 mm, a gauge which, however, was later changed to our standard-gauge of 1 435 mm.

In Southall, 15 km west of Paddington, the railway built 1895 by Hanson Brothers an octagonal 32 meter high water tower with crenellation, known as Southall’s ‘Castle’, where the steam engines could fill water until 1968. The old Victorian water tower was reconstructed in 1983 into one- and two-room flats.

Published 2017-11-08


Eber’s water towers in Cirkulation 8/2017

A free translation to English:

A water tower which is built by a tea and coffee importer could indicate that water is a key ingredient in the preparation of these stimulants. It is known that the hardness of the water affects the quality of the beverages, and it is not without reason that coffee companies providing Skånerost [Scania roast], even if the water that comes in the Scanian municipal water supply systems now have lower hardness.

Wholesaler Christian Fode bought in 1918 Orebjerg Estate in Danish Zealand and modernized the estate, including power and water utilities. Up at the road he built also a 13-meter high water tower.

Published 2017-12-13


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