New water art
| New water art | |
|---|---|
 South side of the Neue Wasserkunst |
|
| Data | |
| place | Bautzen , Saxony |
| builder | Wenzel Röhrscheidt the Elder J. |
| Construction year | 1606 to 1610 |
| height | 30 m |
| Floor space | 70 m² |
| Coordinates | 51 ° 10 '38.8 " N , 14 ° 25' 21.2" E |
The New Water Art ( Sorb. Nowa wodarnja ) in Bautzen , like the Old Water Art, was a water supply system for the city, which is located on a rocky plateau above the Spree valley. The building, which is still preserved today and was rebuilt in 1721, is located in the south of the old town at the entrance from the Spreetal to the Neutor on Lauenstraße .
The old water art, which was built in the 15th century , could no longer meet the increasing demand for water by the beginning of the 17th century at the latest . The city council therefore planned the construction of a second elevator, also to be able to provide more extinguishing water in the event of a fire. A site near the Outer Lauentor was chosen as the construction site, where the Spree comes particularly close to the steep slope of the valley. On July 24, 1606 , Bautzen's mayor Schönborn and master builder Wenzel Röhrscheidt the Younger laid the foundation stone. A bottle of Rhenish wine as well as a certificate and a picture of the former mayor Melchior Piccius were placed inside.
The extraction structure on the Spree was completed in 1606. In 1607, work began on the roofed tube corridor leading up the slope and the tower. One evening in July 1608, the master builder Röhrscheidt suffered a serious setback when the water art tower collapsed at around 9 p.m. Two houses in the Fischergasse below were destroyed, and a 15-year-old boy was killed. The disaster was triggered by an unsuitable binding agent. By the onset of winter, the tower had been rebuilt under the special supervision of the city council and the hood had been put on.
Although water pipes had already been laid from the Neue Wasserkunst to the meat market in the old town, the building could not be inaugurated until July 2, 1610 . But the rest of the history of the building is also marked by disasters. In the winter of 1618 the tower burned down after an attempt to thaw frozen water pipes. In 1620 the upper part of the tower was destroyed during the siege by Swedish troops. In the following 100 years the water art deteriorated more and more, and it burned there several times.
In 1721 the water art was completely rebuilt, this time out of stone and with a domed roof to make it more resistant. In the decades that followed, constant repairs to the elevator and the pumps were necessary, and in 1874 a steam engine was installed at the extraction station in order to meet the increased demand for water due to industrialization . The development of industry on the upper reaches of the Spree , however, also meant that the river water became increasingly inedible and the city looked for other options for water supply. As a result, several deep wells were created from which the lines were now fed. In 1893 the Neue Wasserkunst was shut down. In 1937 the tower was extensively renovated. In 1999 another comprehensive renovation began, which was completed in 2000.
The Neutor, which was formerly part of the Outer Lauentor, is located in the substructure of the Neue Wasserkunst. With its location at the southern end of the city, in addition to its actual function, the water art was also part of the city's defense system at the passage of Frankenstrasse through the city gate.
