THE
WATER TOWER

Without doubt, the most domineering building along the Mühlenstraße is still today the water tower.
However, it is not only Blumenthals’ landmark but had-which many people might not know-a role until the 90s for its water supply.
Its built-in tank at a height of 30 metres serves with its 300,000 litres of water as a drinking water reservoir.
Should the pumps in the Blumenthal waterworks be “paralyzed” for a short time due to a power failure, flaps in the water tower open automatically so that the 300,000 liters of water from the tower can be fed into the pipeline network.

Thus the old water tower -Oberbaurat Cohn, Charlottenburg, wrote about it literally in his work “Bauen und Wohnen in der Industriegemeinde Blumenthal (Unterweser)”
(…) “which grows up so proudly and yet so simply and strongly as a far-reaching landmark of the strongly pulsating development of the place and of the urge to reach the heights ” -ensures the Blumenthalers still have their drinking water today, if necessary.
And this is the fact although they actually did not want it:
At the citizens’ assembly from January 1927, carried out in the Strandhalle, even prominent Blumenthalers were speaking out against water works and water tower, gave preference to their “clear and tasty well water” over the “chlorinated and stale tap water.”

On April 14, however, the building of the 50 metres high water tower was begun, on September 1st of the same year, it was oriented and in the beginning of March 1928 completed.
And “art in public space” was also thought of at that time – although nobody knew this nowadays common term yet – above the three arches at the front of the tower, which by the way was coupled with a bathhouse, were three panels attached.

On the left panel, sea god Neptun is depicted. The middle plate reminds strongly of the Blumenthal coat of arms (However, there are deviations both in the rigging of the ship and especially in the comb beam) whereas the right one depicts an owl, symbolizing science and technology.

Friedrich Karl Kürten, mayor of Blumenthal from 1907 to 1933, writes in his work “The development of Blumenthal during my terms of office“about the Blumenthal water tower:
“The water tower has a tank of 300 cubic metres. The tank is eight metres high and has a diameter of seven metres.
The setting of the automatic switching, remote signalling and alarm equipment is done in such a way that the pumps start working already when there are still about 110 cubic metres of water in the tank. The automatic switching off already takes place at a tank content of about 300 cubic metres. Moreover, the container is connected to an overflow pipe, ensuring the safety of the operation in every way. Through the communication system, it is possible to read off the water level in the tower in the machine house and the electricity works at any time.”

The water tower stands in the middle of the water protection area Blumenthal, since the beginning of the nineties, however, it is not being used any more as an elevated tank. Today, modern, electrically powered pumps of swb Norvia provide the necessary pressure in the water network.

The city of Blumenthal belonged up to its incorporation in the year of 1939 to Hanover. The water tower was a technical feature of the water supply and should provide pressure in the drinking water network with the help of a water-filled steel tank under the roof. 72 years ago, both symmetrically designed wings housed a bathhouse as well as a daycare centre with 44 places. The bathhouse does not exist anymore today, but people who pass the water tower gather from the merry children’s voices that the daycare centre as an institution is still in existence. The Wasserturm daycare centre in Blumenthal was first expanded into a full-fledged daycare centre with a total of 72 places in 1966.

The bathhouse in the water tower was closed with the opening of the new Bremen-Nord combined baths in 1965. Besides, this had also become necessary because applications and queries for daycare centre places were very many. In the same year, the daycare centre rooms in the water tower could be obtained.

Serious developments and changes have shaped the image of the facility in recent decades.
In the course of the last century, what was originally an industrial structure and architecture with a predominantly functional mechanical and hygienic orientation, for the benefit of the community, has become a modern educational children’s and youth facility.

The day care centre Wasserturm, in its complexity, has not only undergone structural, pedagogical – content related and organizational changes and developments, but has remained in its traditional purpose, an institution that has always been committed to children and their families.

The Wasserturm daycare centre continues to enjoy a high level of popularity among children, parents and grandparents around the facility, as evidenced year after year by the high enrolment numbers for the daycare centre and after-school care areas. Commitment and high professional expertise have shaped the work of this house in recent decades.

Quelle: Rainer Steinbach