Wasserwerk am Hochablass
Wasserwerk am Hochablass stands in Augsburg beside the Hochablass weir and the Lech River. Its late-classical pump house arches over the Neubach canal. Two towers mark the west facade, while colourful wall paintings and a terrazzo floor fill the machine hall.
Built between 1876 and 1879, it became Augsburg’s first dedicated drinking-water works after poor water quality and cholera outbreaks. Three Henschel-Jonval turbines drove three double-piston pumps through a shared Königswelle. Four pressure vessels, each ten metres high, maintained five bar without a raised reservoir. A steam engine added in 1885 kept the supply running when low water stopped the turbines.
After newer facilities reduced its water-supply role, the site returned to power generation with Francis turbines in 1993. Kaplan-S turbines later increased its output at the site. Today, the former waterworks combines a hydropower plant with a technology museum and water-management information centre. Its place within the Augsburg Water Management System connects the building to UNESCO World Heritage.
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