Wasserturm Leipzig-Probstheida

The Wasserturm Leipzig-Probstheida rises over the Probstheida quarter of Leipzig: a water tower of yellow clinker brick, 53 metres tall. You can pick it out from a distance. It dates to 1906 and 1907, and similar industrial styling appears on utility buildings across other German cities.

Inside sits a tank of riveted steel plate, 14.5 metres across and holding up to 1,500 cubic metres of water. Riveted steel is the era's standard for a container that must be strong and watertight. The tower belongs to a network of similar structures raised to keep pressure steady for homes and businesses as cities grew. Such towers are the backbone of the water supply until modern pumps and pressure systems take over. Ownership rests with Kommunale Wasserwerke Leipzig GmbH, the city's municipal waterworks. Monument protection covers the building, so changes and repairs must respect its original look. The clinker is durable and shrugs off weather, and the facade details look much as they did when new.

Not far away stands the Monument of the Battle of the Nations, one of the largest war memorials in Europe. Tower and monument share the skyline over Probstheida, a district known for its heritage architecture. Several other water towers stand across the city, some of them converted to new uses. More than a century after it was built, the tower still helps supply water to this part of Leipzig.