Genthin water tower
| Genthin water tower | |
|---|---|
 General view of the tower |
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| Data | |
| Year of construction / construction time: | 1934/1935 |
| Draft: | Figurines by Bernhard Schmitt |
| Tower height: | 48 m |
| Container volume: | 400 m³ |
| Operating condition: | shut down since 1995 |
| Monument protection: | Yes |
The water tower Genthin is a water tower in the city of Genthin in Saxony-Anhalt . The tower, visible from afar, close to the banks of the Elbe-Havel Canal, is a landmark of the city and has not been used to supply the residents with water since 1995.
History and design
The tower was built in 1934/35 in today's Geschwister-Scholl-Straße as a water tower for the municipal drinking water supply. The city director Tingelhoff was responsible for building supervision. The 48 meter high, monumental-looking, octagonal, somewhat conical tower was created in a skeleton construction from monolithic cast reinforced concrete with eight outer and four inner supporting columns. The staircase between the inner columns including the banister is included in the monolithic construction. The tower wall is made of clinker bricks, while the load-bearing outer columns remain visible as pilaster strips . There is a viewing platform above the 400 m³ water tank, which can be reached via 232 steps. The tower built during the Nazi era was also intended to serve ideological purposes. The eight outer concrete pillars were decorated with eight 3.20 meter tall sculpted figures that came from the workshop of the sculptor Bernhard Schmitt (1902–1950), who was born in Kaiserslautern (Rhineland-Palatinate) . Four figures represented a soldier, a member of the Reich Labor Service and a member of the SS and SA . These figures and a bowl on the viewing platform for solstice celebrations were removed after the end of National Socialist rule. The remaining four figures - worker, woman, farmer and engineer - have been preserved.
Use since 1995
Despite the cessation of use as a water tower in 1995, the tower and viewing platform are still open to the public. The Spuk im Turm festival takes place every year, during which many volunteer ghosts hide in the tower, do their mischief and try to scare people who want to come to the viewing platform. At times there was a café in the tower.
Web links
literature
- Folkhard Cremer: Dehio, Handbook of German Art Monuments , Saxony-Anhalt I, Magdeburg District , Deutscher Kunstverlag Munich Berlin 2002, ISBN 3-422-03069-7 , p. 255.
Coordinates: 52 ° 24 ′ 32.4 " N , 12 ° 9 ′ 14" E