Old Waterworks (České Budějovice)
OLD WATERWORKS (OLD WATER TREATMENT PLANT)
A place which you should definitely visit and where you will find not only entertainment but also rest, is the complex of the old waterworks (old water treatment plant) on Mánesova street. The dominating feature of the complex is the old waterworks tower built in 1724 near old Luční Mlýn (Watermill) along the Vltava River. The water from the river was pumped into a reservoir located at the top of the tower and the gravity pushed the water into the city as well as into the Samsonova fountain. In 1882, the original baroque tower was rebuilt in neo-Gothic style. Its height was increased to 44 meters and fitted with a new cylindrical reservoir with a diameter of 8 meters capable of holding 250 m3 of water.
The water tower was used as the city water supply until the Římov dam was built in 1978 and the water treatment plant was completed in 1981. Currently, the tower together with the adjacent area owned by ČEVAK, a.s.
OLD WATERWORKS (OLD WATER TREATMENT PLANT)
A place which you should definitely visit and where you will find not only entertainment but also rest, is the complex of the old waterworks (old water treatment plant) on Mánesova street. The dominating feature of the complex is the old waterworks tower built in 1724 near old Luční Mlýn (Watermill) along the Vltava River. The water from the river was pumped into a reservoir located at the top of the tower and the gravity pushed the water into the city as well as into the Samsonova fountain. In 1882, the original baroque tower was rebuilt in neo-Gothic style. Its height was increased to 44 meters and fitted with a new cylindrical reservoir with a diameter of 8 meters capable of holding 250 m3 of water.
The water tower was used as the city water supply until the Římov dam was built in 1978 and the water treatment plant was completed in 1981. Currently, the tower together with the adjacent area owned by ČEVAK, a.s., is used for water recirculation by authorized test water meters. The tower is one of the oldest in the Jihočeský Region and is protected under the heritage preservation programme.
The playful ČEVAVA water fountain in the park below the tower is a favourite stop for young and old. In the summer, the fountain refreshes visitors with water mist.
The tower is open to visitors during guided tours. Visitors together with the tour guide must overcome 106 steps and will come directly under the main water reservoir. There are two interactive exhibitions focusing on the construction of the water tower and on the history of the water management industry in České Budějovice. The sightseeing route also includes a water reservoir from the first half of the last century. Visitors here meet another projection associated with the water cycle.
The East wall of the tower is covered by a large graffito with the city emblem created by the local painter Richard Kristinus.
The number of people per tour is limited but you may reserve your place at www.vodarenskavezcb.cz.
A freely accessible trail in the outdoor complex continues with the same theme. Visitors will pass through 10 stations and will learn, for example, about the destroyed Luční watermill and about Eliášova štola and the role it played in the city water supply. Then, visitors may freshen up using functional drinking fountains and try out the water slide valve Because no water treatment complex should be without water, a playful water fountain ČEVAVA makes the tour more pleasant, together with other water displays which symbolize circulation of water in nature.
