Water park (Frankfurt am Main)

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Pump station construction in the water park

The water park in Frankfurt am Main is a public park of almost 3.7 hectares, which is one of the oldest in the city. The elevated tank is located in the water park at the end of the oldest long-distance water pipeline from Vogelsberg, which opened in 1873 . From here the water is fed into the municipal drinking water network.

location

The park belongs to the Nordend district on the border with the Bornheim district . It is located between Friedberger Landstrasse and Dortelweiler Strasse and, together with the Frankfurt Main Cemetery , Bornheim Cemetery and the nearby Günthersburgpark, forms a continuous green corridor and an important cold and fresh air generation zone in the city.

Partially paved, but also unpaved walking paths surround and cross the park and its hilly landscape with old trees and bushes. Under the hill it is 132 by 67 meters large and 4.10 meters high underground elevated tanks. Its four water chambers made of red Main sandstone hold a total of 25,444 cubic meters of water. The water level is 144.74 meters above sea ​​level . The high-rise buildings in the park, including several pump houses, a small, domed central building and the entrance portals to the elevated reservoir, made of red sandstone, are unusually lavishly designed in the neo-renaissance style based on the model of the Aschaffenburg Palace . The buildings have wrought-iron gates, some of which are decorated with gilded door knob rosettes and lion heads, with rings in their mouths for knocking and opening the gates.

The elevated tank has handrail stairs on both sides that lead to the roof surrounded by a parapet. The door of a brick obelisk leads to the underworld, which is not open to the public. The obelisk originally served as the entry building of the source gallery built on the Knoblauchsfeld from 1828 to 1834 and was moved to its current location in 1873.

An educational water path explains various aspects of the city's water supply in nine stations: water cycle , sources , transport , groundwater recharge , filtration , water quality , energy generation from hydropower , wastewater treatment , water use.

history

In the 19th century, the growth of Frankfurt's population and the increasing demands on drinking water hygiene required a steady expansion of the city's water supply. Since 1834 a second aqueduct ran from the Knoblauchsfeld in the north end into the city, which strengthened the aqueduct from the Friedberger Feld that had existed since the 16th century . In 1859 a third water pipeline went into operation to convey the water from the Seehof spring in Sachsenhausen, which had been used by the Sachsenhausen gardeners until then, into the city. Starting in 1859, a pumping station at the Alte Brücke supplied the Sachsenhausen gardeners with irrigation water from the Main. After just a few years it became apparent that the existing sources were not sufficient for the permanent supply of the city. In 1865 the chemist August Kerner and the engineer Peter Schmick drafted a plan for a long-distance water pipeline from the Vogelsberg and the Spessart. Construction began in 1870 after funding and the necessary permits were secured.

From the spring catchments in the catchment area of ​​the Riedbach near Fischborn , pipes lead to a collecting tank on the Aspenhainer Kopf near Neu-Wirtheim . From there the spring water pipe runs around 66 kilometers south of the Büdinger Forest over the Abtshecke near Langenselbold and the Berger ridge to the elevated reservoir in the water park. From here and a connected counter-tank in the Boehlepark at the Sachsenhäuser Warte , it was fed into the city's drinking water network, which was 58 kilometers long at the time of the inauguration.

Panoramic view of the water park and the entrance of the elevated tank

The Vogelsberg spring water first streamed into the elevated reservoir of the water park on September 25, 1873. The water connection was celebrated on November 22nd of the same year with a 35 meter high fountain in the pond of Bethmannpark . In the same year, the entire area of ​​the new water park was made accessible to the public. Sources of the Biebertal and the Kasselgrund in the Spessart were developed as early as 1875 and fed into the Frankfurt long-distance water pipeline via the Aspenhainer Kopf. In 1880 a fourth chamber was added to the elevated tank. The year can be found at the entrance. A pump house built in 1901 was used to pump water into another elevated tank on the Heiligenstock in order to also supply the higher parts of the city with water. It is no longer in operation today.

In 1880 a bee garden was set up in the water park , which has been run by the Frankfurt Beekeeping Association ever since . The bees look for their pollen within a radius of around 5 kilometers, including in the neighboring cemeteries, parks, home and leisure gardens. The honey from the water park is also available directly in the park on Sunday afternoons. Free tours of the bee garden are offered from April to September. An open day is organized once a year .

In 1936, north of the water park on Friedberger Landstrasse, the Kurhessen barracks was built as a new garrison for Infantry Regiment No. 81. During the Second World War , an air raid on October 4, 1943 was also intended to hit the water park to impair the city's fresh water supply . However, the park remained unscathed. In 1945, the United States Army took over the barracks and used what is now called Atterberry Barracks for their transportation motor pool .

Panoramic view from the east over the overgrown elevated reservoir

After the US armed forces withdrew in 2003, a settlement with single and multi-family houses and a day-care center was built on the site in 2007. Two new streets were laid out in the residential area, Bernhard-Becker-Straße and Straße Am Wasserpark . In 2003 an elderly care center was built at the water park.

literature

  • Volker Rödel: Civil engineering in Frankfurt am Main 1806–1914 . Contributions to urban development. Societäts-Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 1983, ISBN 3-7973-0410-2 , p. 78-103 .

swell

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Water park on the website of the city of Frankfurt am Main, frankfurt.de
  2. ↑ Water educational trail in the water park
  3. ↑ Photos from the water park , frankfurt-nordend.de
  4. ↑ Information and photos on the bee garden in the Frankfurt water park ( Memento from August 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ), frankfurter-imker.de
  5. ↑ Atterberry Kaserne on the website US Army Installations - Frankfurt

Web links

Commons : Water park  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 50 ° 8 ′ 11.5 "  N , 8 ° 41 ′ 58.8"  E