Vodárenská věž v areálu Plzeňského Prazdroje Water tower

Vodárenská věž v areálu Plzeňského Prazdroje in Východní Předměstí is an important technical monument from the beginning of the 20th century, which was built to ensure the independence of brewery plants on water sources. This object, reaching a total height of approximately 50 metres, represents a unique combination of industrial functionality and specific architecture.

The need to increase the production capacity of the brewery and the growing demand for Pilsen beer led to a decision to build its own water system in the early 20th century. The then Chief Engineer of the František Spalek Brewery designed a comprehensive solution after a study trip to several large European breweries to ensure full independence of the brewery on external water sources. The project was processed in 1905 and in the same year the builder Eduard Kroh started the construction. The tower was placed at the highest point of the brewery area in order to be able to supply water to the plants by self-falling. This site was, by coincidence, the territory of the former city gallows where Jan Sladký Kozina was executed. When building the foundations of the building, skeletal remains were found, which are today stored in a monument at the foot of the tower. The whole building was finally put into operation on 20 December 1907.

The architectural solution of the tower combines the walled bottom part with the steel top part with a thin concrete casing. The diameter of the tower at the heel is 13.34 meters and its walled height is 25.5 meters. In the extended part of the building there are two tanks - bigger for river water and smaller for boiling water. Access to these tanks is ensured by means of a communication slide, which is a helix-shaped ramp mounted on the console in the inside of the tower. The top of the building consists of 7.8 meters high iron dome covered by copper sheet. It ends with a view lantern with a lightning rod and a statue of King Gambrin, which serves as a wind rudder. According to the historical sources available, the lantern was also equipped with a headlamp in the first years after completion.

The tower was fully operational and used until 2005. During its operation it underwent two repairs which took place between 1960-1963 and 1987- 1991. In 2008, the water tower was included in the list of real cultural monuments together with the jubilee gate of the Pilsen brewery. As part of this occasion, the Czech National Bank issued a commemorative gold coin from the edition of the Cultural Monuments of the Technical Heritage on which the Jubilee Gate is displayed, not the Tower itself. However, as part of the edition of the Technical Monument, a stamp with an engraving of the tower was printed on this occasion.

The object is bound by various attractions and legends. It is reported that the tower was built as a copy of one of the Dutch lighthouses, but no Dutch lighthouse resembling the tower could be found. The construction is similar to a waterjet built according to Intze's principle. People's traditions include the story of brewery apprentices who had fun in the 1960s and 1970s by riding out an internal communication slide on a motorcycle.

Today, the water tower is part of the Pilsen Pravodu complex and represents an important element of the technical heritage. Its historical value and unique technical solution make it a valuable object for anyone interested in industrial history and architecture.