Eber’s water towers – The Netherlands

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 5/2023

A free translation to English:

In the Dutch town of Schoonhoven, located between Utrecht and Rotterdam, was there built in 1901 a 50 m high engine house and water tower designed by architect F A de Jongh in Dutch renaissance style. The lower house is cross-shaped, and there are at ground level an engine room, and above it a machinist residence.

There above is there an octagonal tower having a reservoir of 150 m3. The tower was operational until 1982, and then sold to a foundation which restored the tower. The building now houses two silver smithies. For the price of the Dutch currency one guilder, as the foundation gave, became there a lot of silver.

Published 2023-08-30


Eber’s water towers in Cirkulation 4/2020

A free translation to English:

Every era has its architectural style and significant for the interwar period is the art deco style. It’s also a style that the water tower in Aalsmeer has. The tower, which was built in 1926-28, stands 15 kilometers south of Amsterdam in the Netherlands, at the edge of the lake Westeinderplassen, which is an old peat cutting.

The 50-meter high water tower is the work of Hendrik Sangster, who also has designed several other water towers. The tower, with reservoirs at 520 and 480 m³, was decommissioned in 1994 and is now culturally protected and considered as one of the most beautiful water towers of the Netherlands. It is open for visits a few times a year.

Published 2020-06-03


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 6/2014

A free translation to English:

In the Netherlands they built water towers in the lake. Yes, first they dike a water area, then pumps out the water, and they got a polder. The Northeast polder is such area with plenty of farmland, but also with the medium-sized city of Emmeloord.

The city held a design competition for a new water tower, which was won by architect H. van Gent. Together with the architect J. W. H. C. Pot he later designed it 65.5 meter high tower, with reservoirs of 1 850 m³. The tower was built 1957-59. There is also a carillon with 48 bells. There is now in the tower tourist office, meeting rooms and restaurant.

Published 2014-09-24


Eber’s water towers in Cirkulation 4/2013

A free translation to English:

Netherlands’ most sustainable office is a water tower from 1897. It stands in Bussum, a town southeast of Amsterdam. From being a classic 200 m³ large Intze-tower, it has now lost its reservoir function, but has a new top of the glass with a windmill on the roof and a side building.

Here is it zero energy and carbon neutral, with thermal energy storage, heat pumps and cogeneration. All necessary electrical energy generated internally with wind, solar and cogeneration, a cogeneration using vegetable waste oil. The tower has its own water and sewage plant. Etc, etc. A tower in the time.

Published 2013-06-05


Eber’s water towers in Cirkulation 2/2011

A free translation to English:

When the Netherlands in old times wanted to communicate with their colonies, for example with the almost antipodes colony that is present Indonesia, it was necessary when the technology made it possible to have a large radio transmitter. One such facility, designed by architect J. M. Luthmann was built on a heath near Apeldoorn.

A cathedral-like main building, and since 1922 a 38 meter high water tower with a reservoir of 110 m³ water to cool down the heath from the radio tubes, still stands on the place called Radio Kootwijk. Now, there are no colonies and communication is replaced with other technologies.

Published 2011-03-23


Eber’s water towers in Cirkulation 2/2010

A free translation to English:

Can a water tower to become a minaret? The possibility exists in the town of Oss in the southern Netherlands, but has not yet been realized. It is valid for the architect J H J Kording drawn 48.5 meter high water tower from 1935, with a reservoir of 600 m³. The now decommissioned tower, a historic building, could a Turkish-Muslim community for a few years ago bought for 1 Euro.

In the tower there was a grocer’s shop, and in the low building a mosque. The tower maintenance burden, however, the community’s finances, so it is now hope for revenues from mobile antenna rents. They have experienced, almost free is not always cheap.

Published 2010-03-17


Eber’s water towers in Cirkulation 5/2003

Watertorenweg = water tower road.

A free translation to English:

An eclectic water tower is standing in the district De Esch in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. This will mean that the architecture consist different styles. This tower, draw by the manager of the building office C. B. van der Tak, is closest to the Romanesque style, the New Renaissance but even oriental styles is valid in the building.

In the 44 meter high tower, that is standing at the river Nieuwe Maas, was there when it was finished 1873 a reservoir on 1 500 m³ and under that engine-men apartments. It is by that one of the oldest and largest water tower in Netherlands. It is now a historic building, and rebuilt to office with the address Watertorenweg.

Published 2003-09-03


Eber’s water towers in Cirkulation 6/2000

A free translation to English:

A fastidious version of water tower is perhaps the first impression you get, when you see the water tower in the old hanseatic town Groningen in the north Netherlands. The tower that is standing in the yard in a central residential quarter represent a type of reservoir that is called a Barkhausen-reservoir after its originator, a professor in Hanover [Hannover].

The water tank has the form of a cylinder that downwards is transformed into a half sphere. The vertical struts are fastening in the transition between these geometrical forms. It is a simple type to manufacture and there are not either arising complicated powers of pressures.

The water tower in Groningen is built 1908 by A. Wilke & Co, Brunswick [Braunschweig] in Germany and is presumed to be designed by Carl Franke, Bremen. It is 45,3 metres high and was holding 1 000 m³ water, before it got out of operation about 20 years ago [2000].

Published 2000-10-04


Eber’s water towers in Cirkulation 1/1999

The Swedish expression (translated) ”the ball in the air” is an expression that is common in the start of the football season (the spring).

A free translation to English:

Three balls in the air at the same time is normal not an advanced act for a juggler. It will be different if the balls are made of steel, have a diameter of 10 metres and contain water. The water tower with three floating spheres is a beautiful view in the city of Eindhoven in the south Netherlands.

Constructor to this juggler act is professor W G Quist from Rotterdam. Water reservoirs that are separated can in other countries mean that they serve different pressure zones, but the Netherlands is not known as a country with big differences of altitude and quite consistent is all the three spheres in Eindhoven connected on the same main supply.

The problem that could arise with communicating vessels on different height has a solution with that all stand pipes reach up to 42 metres. With 523 m³, water in each sphere will the weight of the construction be 3 000 metric ton. The white futuristic water tower from 1971 is perhaps a tribute to the football club in the city, PSV Eindhoven – the ball in the air.

Published 1999-02-17