Bremerhaven-Lehe water tower (Hafenstrasse)
| Bremerhaven-Lehe water tower (Hafenstrasse) | |
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| Construction year: | 1852/53 |
| Architect: | Simon Loschen (1818–1902) |
| Monument protection: | Cultural monument since 1984 |
| Volume of the container: | 600 m³ |
| Original use: | Drinking water supply for the residents of Bremerhaven and ships in the port |
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The Bremerhaven-Lehe water tower is located in today's city park on Hafenstrasse . The 150-year-old building from the early days of Bremerhaven's water supply - also known as the Schwoon water tower after its builder Melchior Schwoon - has been a listed building since 1984 (see: List of cultural monuments in Bremerhaven ).
Building
The water tower was built in 1852/53 based on a design by the Bremen architect Simon Loschen (1818–1902). In the lower part it shows a square basic shape with an edge length of 11.5 m. Four extensions with steep monopitch roofs lean against the cube. They were used as living and storage rooms. Above the approach of the roofs, the tower tapers to an octagonal structure. This is structured by blind arcades, which are broken through by small pointed arched windows. Above this, part of the steel water tank protrudes from the masonry. A conical roof with a lantern completes the building at the top.
Structural changes
| 1881: | The original masonry water tank is replaced by an iron tank with a capacity of 500 m³. |
| 1896/97: | The companies August Klönne and HF Kistner increase the tower by approx. 9 m and use a 7.5 m high flat-bottom container with a capacity of 600 m³. |
| 1900: | The container is renewed again. |
History of the Bremerhaven water supply from Lehe
When drilling in the newly created Bremerhaven in the first half of the 19th century, brackish water was found that could not be used as drinking water. The water supply of Bremerhaven was carried from the neighboring, then still independent spots Lehe. Until 1838 this was done by means of horse-drawn carts, on which the water was transported in barrels.
Then the master mason Eits built a simple water tower and a water pipe to Bremerhaven in Lehe. The water tower consisted of a 15 m high wooden frame that was erected over a well. A water container was supported on it. The water was pumped into the container via a horse peg and then pushed through the water pipe to Bremerhaven.
The so-called Eits'sche water art was soon no longer sufficient to supply Bremerhaven. In 1853, the freight forwarder Schwoon built a second water pipe, a waterworks with a steam pump system, and built the Schwoon water tower right next to the Eits'schen fountain. Eits then built a new 26 m high masonry water tower and switched its conveyor system to steam operation.
The competition between Eits and Schwoon only ended with a marriage between members of the two families. In 1870 the two water suppliers merged.
At the same time, the installation of water pipes in the houses in Bremerhaven began. Before that, the citizens had to take the water at taps. The water pressure was no longer sufficient for the upper floors of the houses. This led to the increase of the Schwoon Tower by 9 m to its current size. The Eits'sche water tower lost its importance and was demolished.
Water supply today
Bremerhaven's water supply is provided by swb AG , a successor company to Stadtwerke Bremen (as of 2010). The company operates four waterworks and a pipeline network totaling 2704 km in length.
The functionless water tower was sold in 1989 to the publisher of the Nordsee-Zeitung Ditzen.
literature
- Jens U. Schmidt: Water towers in Bremen and Hamburg. Hanseatic water towers . Regia-Verlag, Cottbus 2011, ISBN 978-3-86929-190-1 .
- Nils Aschenbeck , Jens U. Schmidt: Water towers in the northwest. Isensee, Oldenburg 2003, ISBN 3-89995-006-2 .
- Nordsee-Zeitung, article on the 150th anniversary of the tower, January 25, 2003.
Web links
Individual evidence
Coordinates: 53 ° 33 ′ 35.2 " N , 8 ° 35 ′ 12.8" E