Wesel water tower

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Today's simple appearance of the water tower

The Wesel water tower was part of the drinking water supply for the Wesel population from 1886 to 1979 . It was originally designed by the civil engineer Otto Intze according to the Intze principle and rebuilt in a unique way in 1923/24. Destroyed in 1945 and then rebuilt, it is now a technical monument and has been used as a space for temporary exhibitions since 1991.

In the Lippe meadows there were wells, the bank filtrate of the Lippe obtained there was sucked in by the piston pumps of the old waterworks, which were initially steam and later electric, and pressed to the water tower. This was used for storage and ensured the necessary and even pressure in the pipeline network. It was put into operation in 1886 together with the old waterworks. With its conical shape, 40 meters high and a maximum diameter of 13 meters, it was a dominant building in the city. The actual support base made of iron held 600 cubic meters.

In the particularly dry summer of 1911 and some subsequent years, the storage capacity of the water tower was no longer sufficient. Planning and preparatory work for the construction of a second water tower began, but before construction could begin, the First World War began. For financial reasons, the plans were changed and in 1923/24 the second 360 cubic meter water tank was installed in the lower part of the existing water tower. In 1933/34 the masonry was stabilized by an additional, now cylindrical walling. The tower had an ornate head with battlements.

In 1945, at the end of the Second World War, the city of Wesel was almost completely destroyed by an area bombed by the Allies and the subsequent conflagration, only a stump of the water tower remained. In 1947 the lower container with a capacity of 400 cubic meters could be built up, in 1951 the upper container was renewed according to the Intze principle. The cylindrical casing was now unadorned with slender windows and an only slightly sloping roof.

In 1987 the water tower was declared a technical monument. Since 1991 it has been used for temporary exhibitions under the motto "Art in the Tower". Visits are only possible by telephone arrangement, open days are the PPP city festival and the Hanse festival.

The Wesel water tower is part of the route of industrial culture .

Web links

Commons : Wasserturm Wesel  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 51 ° 39 ′ 24 ″  N , 6 ° 37 ′ 13.1 ″  E