Historic Water Tower

Marchtrenk, Oberösterreich, Österreich

All weather
Suitable for kids (all ages)

The Historic Water Tower is among Marchtrenk's most cherished landmarks.

This structure was erected in 1915 to supply the Imperial & Royal Prisoner of War Camp with water.

The foundation of the Water Tower consists of piles filled with concrete. The tower shaft rises in multistoried sections 24 meters above the conical ground-level base. The decagonal tower is centered and set back from the top of the circular water tank that is covered by a flat roof.

The water stored in the tower could supply up to 30,000 people. The Water Tower stands today as the vertical dominant feature of the housing estate that was erected on the very site of the former camp to accommodate the Saxons that were expelled from Transylvania and the Danube Swabians (the estate is dubbed "Roithner Settlement" or "Camp").

In 2001, the Water Tower was completely restored within the nationwide "Day of Memorial" initiative. Today, the Historic Water Tower houses a permanent collection arranged by the "Marchtrenk Museum Society" where visitors can gather information on the former POW Camp. The historic "Water Tower" is second to none in Upper Austria.