Pumpenhaus

Pumpenhaus stands in a Schrebergarten between Heidelberg’s Südstadt and Kirchheim, where an industrial structure became a private home. During the steam-locomotive era, groundwater rose through its shaft and travelled by pipe into waiting train boilers.

Most original machinery has disappeared, but the shaft remains beneath a glass plate in the living room. About four metres wide and two storeys deep, it contains a steel spiral staircase and a small fitness area on its intermediate level. The lowest level stays too damp for storage.

Renovation replaced rotten wood, renewed the electrical system, insulated the roof, and added a timber-frame garage with a green roof. During the pandemic, an old Bauwagen became a heated extra room with new windows, acoustic ceiling panels, and colourful artwork. Family film nights now take place beside this former railway infrastructure, while the unusual home has also inspired a crime novel by Marcus Imbsweiler.