Eber’s water towers 2003

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 1/2003

The Swedish word “biofilm” has various meaning, both “bio film” and “cinema film”, biograf=cinema. The German word “Turm”=tower.

A free translation to English:

Bio film in a water reservoir is regarded as something negative – pollution. In Neunkirchen in the German Saarland is movie [biofilm] something positive, because there are arranged four cinemas in the closed down cooling water tower of the ironworks. The 41 meter high tower with a largest diameter of 14 meter, hold 2 200 m³ water when it stood ready 1936.

The water tower become a historic building 1985, and after rebuilt and extension built 1996 is here now recreation centre, pub, bistro, café and a small brewery with the beer Turm Gold and Turm Black. But even the multi cinema Cinetower, there it perhaps sometimes will be fluid production in form of tears.

Published 2003-02-12


Eber’s water towers in Cirkulation 2/2003

A free translation to English:

With a total height of 67 meter is the water tower in the district Favoriten in Vienna among the highest in Europe, high seeing that it’s only 33 meter up to the water mirror. The tower, built 1898/99, has got a shape worthy the parade streets in the centre of Vienna. Under the roof of glazed tiles in five colours is a 203 meter long spiral ramp leading up to reservoirs on 1 050 m³ respective 203 m³.

When Vienna 1910 got a new water main from the mountains, was the meaning of the tower reduced and was out of operation 1956. For some years ago was it completely renovated and is now a historic building and sometimes open to art exhibitions.

Published 2003-03-19


Eber’s water towers in Cirkulation 3/2003

In the bilingual country Finland is the Swedish name of the municipality, Euraåminne and the Finnish name Eurajoki.

A free translation to English:

The Earth is rotating. A phenomenon that you occasionally can see at the water tower in Euraåminne/Eurajoki in the western Finland. In the corbelling edge of the tower is there fasten a 40 meter long and 110 kg heavy pendulum. When the pendulum is start move, it will according to the law of inertia continue to swing in the same direction. The Earth’s rotating lead however to that the pendulum seemingly is change direction.

As the pendulum is long, it takes time before it will stop move, which does it easier to see the change of the moving. It is an experiment that is called Foucault’s pendulum, and will normally be done indoors. In the shelter of the Finnish forest is this done outdoors. On and off.

Published 2003-04-30


Eber’s water towers in Cirkulation 4/2003

Wasserturm = water tower.

A free translation to English:

The new water tower in the north district Vahrenwald in Hanover had the largest water tower reservoir of Europe when it was new 1911. The riveted Intze-construction holds 4 100 m³ water, and was reposed on 140 steel pillars. The total height above the ground of the tower was 62 meter. The design of the tower in Lower Saxony was by the hand of architect Schaedtler. The façade was rough-hewn blue-green lime-sandstone, with a coat of arms, tall as a man, above the door.

The tower was as many other German towers both bomb damaged and restored. It was at last out of operation 1963, but is now honoured with an own tramway stop – “Wasserturm”.

Published 2003-06-04


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 6/2003

A free translation to English:

A wishing-customer to the steel profiles supplier is the feeling when you are looking at the water tower in Batavia, New York State, USA. For the country usual way is here steel used as a construction material to the water tower, even if not all steel water towers is using steel profiles to the carrying part.

It is one of two water towers in the town, official stated by the water works as located behind the Ponderosa Steak House, which supply the town with a pressure of 27-36 m column of water. The town with circa 16 000 inhabitants is situated 50 kilometres east Buffalo, and named after a German tribe on the Rhine delta (the Batavian) in the present Holland.

Published 2003-10-08


Eber’s water towers in Cirkulation 7/2003

The Swedish word “press” has various meaning, both “printing-press and “pressure”.

A free translation to English:

A water tower building situated in Bobigny in the north district of Paris, was there in times past a good printing-press. Here in Bobigny built the old newspaper L’Illustration in 1930s a low building to the printing works and a high building to the editorial office. The high house got on the top a large water reservoir and tower clocks. Architect was unusually oddly the newspaper’s own secretary-general Louis Braschet.

When the newspaper was accused to collaboration with the Germans under the war, was the newspaper closed 1945, after which a transport company take over the building. The timeless building has stand empty in same years with lack of maintenance, but is now been renovating to be one of the universities in Paris.

Published 2003-11-12


Eber’s water towers in Cirkulation 8/2003

A free translation to English:

The out-punch “G.V.” on the water tower vane in the Danish Glostrup, is a proud marking that the suburb municipality in the western Copenhagen is a modern society with its own water work. The 33 meter high water tower in brick, with a reservoir on 110 m³, was built 1905 in Romanesque style under the glory period of Art Nouveau, after drawings and calculations by engineer August Fensmark.

The tower was in duty until 1963, when it was replaced by a new and larger water tower. The proposal to tear down the water tower and built a filling station come to naught, so today is the old water tower protected as the mark of Glostrup.

Published 2003-12-17


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