Water Tower on Aleja Wiśniowa in Wrocław

The water tower on Aleja Wiśniowa stands in Wrocław's Borek estate, on a strip of greenery dividing the carriageways of the inner ring road. Its official address is on Sudecka Street, but it is the sixty-two-metre structure visible from afar between the lanes of traffic that serves as a landmark of this part of the city.

Built at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries

The tower was built between 1904 and 1905 to a design by Karl Klimm, approved in August 1903, and was opened to visitors in 1906. It is listed on the heritage register, built of brick, in a style described as neo-Romanesque with Art Nouveau elements in its ornamentation and sculpture.

Viewing gallery towards Ślęża and the Karkonosze

At a height of 42 metres, that is two-thirds of the way up the building, there is a small viewing gallery. In good weather it was possible to make out Mount Ślęża from it, 30 kilometres away, and even the Karkonosze (Giant Mountains), 100 kilometres further. From 1908 the tower's staff raised a red flag at its top on days when visibility was good, and a fee was charged for the lift ride up to the gallery.

Sculptures on the facade

The tower is adorned with sandstone sculptures, including "Nymph Spring" and "Triton". They were created by Ignatius Taschner and Robert Bednorz.

From observation point to closure

In 1945, during the siege of Festung Breslau, the tower served as an observation point used to direct artillery fire. From the end of the Second World War until the 1990s it was not maintained, although the tanks inside it were still used in the city's water supply system until the mid-1980s.

Practical information

• Address: Sudecka 125a, Wrocław, the building stands on a strip of greenery along Aleja Wiśniowa, in the Borek estate.
• The building is currently closed; the exact status and any date for resuming visits should be checked before planning a visit.
• For now the tower can only be viewed from the outside.
• Nearby it is worth seeing the Old Jewish Cemetery, and a little further on the Wrocław Opera and the National Forum of Music.
• A route towards the city centre leads via the Market Square and the Town Hall.