Wieża Wodna we Fromborku - zabytek architektoniczny
ul. Elbląska 2
14-530 Frombork
Poland

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The Frombork Water Tower

water supply engineering marvel of 16th century

The historic water tower remains an important element of The Copernnicus Canal. At the end of the XIV century, the canal,constructed in the days of the Teutonic Order, was six kilometers long and connected the Bauda River to Frombork, before flowing into the Vistula Lagoon.

The site used to house a water mill; hence, the water tower in its current form was built much later by Stanisław also known as Stanislao the mason. In the years 1571-1572 the construction was fitted with a water drawing mechanism, which elevated water to a remarkable height (about 25 meter), so as to supply water to both the Cathedral Hill and the outer canonries located outside the catedral walls. At the time of its construction, the water tower was considered a singular innovation as it was the first water supply system of that character in Poland and second only to the Bawarian one (1548 years, in Augsburg). It is worth noting that the water tower's mechanism was manufactured by a Wrocław pipe maker Valentin Handel, the great-grandfather of the renowned composer-Jerzy Fryderyk Haendl. The composer's family moved in 17th century from Silesia to Halle in Saxony.

The water supply system was in existence for over 200 years. At the end of the XVIII century the pipes and the bucket system were disassembled. However; the canal itself was in use until 1944. It drove the water mill's, housed in the tower, water wheel. The construction of the complicated system was wrongly attributed to Mikołaj Kopernik, and the canal, the water tower and the water supply system began to exist in human consciousness as an inseparable arrangement, in consequence, dated to the same period. Nowadays, the visitors to the water tower are likely not only to admire the views of Frombork, the Vistula Lagoon Vista and the stars, but also enjoy Heandel music...

 

written by - dr Cezary Wawrzyński 

 

Presentation of the functioning of the Water Tower