Wasserturm

The Wasserturm Favoriten stands on the highest point of the Wienerberg in Vienna’s 10th district, a striking industrial-historic tower built between 1898 and 1899. Designed by Franz Borkowitz, it once supplied water to higher parts of Favoriten and Meidling when the nearby Wienerberg reservoir could not provide enough pressure. The tower’s two steel tanks held up to 1,200 cubic metres of water, with the main vessel resting on a 25-metre brick cylinder. Hard stone from Kaisersteinbruch was used for the foundations, while the spiral ramp inside the brickwork was built to move heavy materials during construction. After the Second Vienna Spring Water Main opened in 1910, the tower was used only occasionally for maintenance work. It stopped supplying water altogether in 1956 and later underwent a major restoration between 1988 and 1990. Today the interior hosts exhibitions and events about water, while the nearby reservoir has become a park with a playground shaped like the tower itself. A slide and climbing frame mimic the tower’s form, linking the site to its original purpose. Visitors climb a 203-metre spiral ramp inside the brick cylinder to reach the water tanks, passing the old machinery hall that once housed steam pumps and a coal railway. At 48 metres above ground, a circular viewing platform encircles the lantern, offering wide views over the city. The brick walls taper from 2.3 metres at the base to just one metre at the top, while the outer walkway provides a clear view of the surrounding rooftops and hills. The tower’s industrial design and careful engineering remain visible in every detail.