Alter Wasserturm
Alter Wasserturm stands in Heidelberg’s Bahnstadt district, a former railway quarter now shaped by modern urban development. The protected monument rises about 31 metres above the site of a former freight and marshalling yard. Its abstract-floral façade recalls Vienna Secession design and gives the industrial structure a distinctive artistic presence.
Built in 1907 for the Grand Duchy of Baden State Railways, the tower supplied water to steam locomotives. Wayss & Freytag used a reinforced-concrete skeleton and the Hennebique system, then a pioneering construction method. Seven floors provide 455 square metres of usable space, while the original spiral staircase links the first and second levels. Renovation plans add a round pavilion, a glass connection, a café, a bar and a restaurant, with a cocktail bar inside the tower. A water-drop light installation will recall the building’s original purpose above the planned bar.
The pavilion’s radial concrete supports and glass façade are designed to open views across Bahnstadt. Outside, planting and limited paving will shape a greener public square around the monument. The preserved spiral staircase offers the clearest physical link between a railway water tower and its planned new social life.
- City
- Heidelberg
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