


Today I’ll take you inside a large, cylindrical brick structure. It’s a municipal water tower that was designed to ensure an adequate water supply during peak demand and maintain constant pressure in the water distribution system. It was built shortly after World War I and rises more than 35 meters high. Inside lies a massive riveted tank that holds an incredible 3,000 m³ of water. Today, the water tower is no longer in operation. It was taken out of service due to a leak in the tank and concerns that it could rupture, leading to a disaster. Meanwhile, the structure is falling into disrepair. The damaged roof is provisionally covered with a red tarp. However, it does not seal very well, and water is gradually finding its way inside. And so a somewhat paradoxical situation has arisen—a structure that once held water and helped supply the city is now being destroyed by water itself. The water seeps through the roof and is slowly destroying the inner walkway around the enormous reservoir.

On their website, you’ll read that they’re one of the oldest engineering companies in the world—they’ve been in business since 1889. They’ve manufactured just about anything you can think of out of high-grade steels. And suddenly you’re standing in an abandoned hardening shop, in a testing lab where material-testing equipment still sits on the tables, walking through halls where everything is in disarray and there’s just the occasional forgotten machine—including a unique American model still running on a transmission drive—or through the workshops and foremen’s offices… it’s a strange feeling.


