Water Tower by aliante1981
The symbol of the city of Mannheim is the Water Tower, or Wasserturm standing on the Friedrichsplatz. It was built between the years 1886 and 1889 when Mannheimıs city authorities decided that it was time to replenish and upgrade municipal water supplies. A design competition was announced, and it was - quite surprisingly - won by a young architect from Stuttgart, Gustav Halmhuber. So the 19 meters in diameter and 60-meter high tower - which is also a water reservoir - was constructed. It is topped by the statue of the Greek God Amphitrite, created by Johannes Hoffart.
The huge water reservoir - tower made of sandstone was later used by the Berlin architect Bruno Schmitz, who also designed the neighbouring Rosengarten festival hall, as the central point around which his designs of Friedrichsplatz - up to this date one of the largest Art Nouveau squares of Europe - were created.
