You are standing in front of one of Berlin’s oldest landmarks—
the Water Tower in Prenzlauer Berg. Built between 1875 and 1877, it is
the city’s oldest surviving water tower. In those days, it supplied the growing
industrial city of Berlin with drinking water. High up in the iron reservoir, the
water flowed into homes solely by means of pressure—a technical masterpiece
for its time.
However, the tower’s history is not merely of technical interest. Beneath the
tower, the machine operators lived in apartments located directly within the building itself.
There were offices and workshops, many of which still survive today.
During the Nazi era, the site took a dark turn. In the spring of 1933—
shortly after the National Socialists seized power—Machine House I
served as a makeshift concentration camp for political opponents. People who
opposed the regime were detained and mistreated here. Later, the site was
utilized by the SA before being reopened to the public in 1934
and transformed into a green space. Today, a memorial wall on the
grounds serves as a reminder of these horrific events.
During the GDR era, the tower’s cellar rooms were
used for storage purposes. The apartments within the tower were managed by the state
housing authority. They were highly sought-after due to their unique character.
Architecturally, the water tower is a true gem: featuring massive
brickwork, round-arched windows, a broad ornamental frieze, and a
conical roof. In 1907, the water tank was raised in order to
stabilize water pressure in the surrounding area. Today, the tower is a designated
monument; the apartments are occupied by modern residents, and the old
water reservoirs are utilized for temporary art projects. The small park
surrounding the tower invites visitors to linger and relax. The water tower tells the story of Berlin: technical innovation, dark political
times during the Nazi era, everyday life in the GDR, and creative uses today.
Every stone, every window, and every niche holds a piece of Berlin’s history.
Image 1: By A.Savin – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=41632485
Image 2: Commemorative plaque marking the period 1933–1934, when it served as an
unauthorized concentration camp; by OTFW, Berlin – Self-photographed, CC BY-SA 3.0,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9779222
Prenzlauer Berg Water Tower
from the audio walk Berlin Like You’ve Never Heard It Before – True Stories & Secrets
254:05 min Audio
8
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Other stops on this audio tour:
A Brief Excursion into Berlin's History (7:59 min) • St. Nicholas' Church / St. Nicholas' Quarter (2:49 min) • Newspaper District (4:28 min) • Checkpoint Charlie (1:55 min) • Former Gestapo Headquarters (2:57 min) • Former Tempelhof Airport (3:46 min) • 7 Wannsee Conference (4:45 min) • Walther Rathenau Memorial (2:34 min) • Olympic Stadium / 1936 Olympic Games (5:36 min) • Commune 1 (2:27 min) • Benno Ohnesorg / Student Movement (2:16 min) • Rolf Eden (1:54 min) • Café Kranzler (2:08 min) • Kurfürstendamm (3:03 min) • Zoo Palace (3:47 min) • Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church (2:22 min) • Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg (3:28 min) • Schöneberg Town Hall (2:33 min) • Former Sportpalast / Sportpalast Speech (5:12 min) • Bendlerblock/Stauffenberg assassination attempt (4:47 min) • Kroll Opera House / Enabling Act (3:09 min) • Reichstag Building (4:14 min) • Reichstag Fire (4:28 min) • Brandenburg Gate (2:52 min) • People's Court (3:08 min) • Potsdamer Place (2:58 min) • Former "Führerbunker" (5:06 min) • "Tresor" (Safe) (1:43 min) • Popular Uprising in the GDR (2:11 min) • Reich Chancellery / Hitler's Seizure of Power (5:11 min) • "Die weiße Maus" (The White Mouse) (2:57 min) • Friedrichstraße Station / "Tränenpalast" (Palace of Tears) (3:46 min) • Humboldt University (1:56 min) • Berlin Palace (5:04 min) • Red City Hall (2:30 min) • Alexanderplatz (2:30 min) • Otto Weidt's Workshop for the Blind / Anne Frank Center (2:05 min) • Hackesche Höfe (5:21 min) • Rosenthaler Platz (2:58 min) • St. Sophia's Church (3:03 min) • Sophie-Gips Courtyards (2:08 min) • Koppenplatz (3:16 min) • Clärchen's Dance Hall (3:54 min) • New Synagogue (2:19 min) • Berliner Ensemble (3:55 min) • Friedrichstadt-Palast (4:02 min) • Dorotheenstadt Cemetery (2:25 min) • Bloody May (2:18 min) • Humboldthain Flak Tower (5:17 min) • Chris Gueffroy and the Victims of the Wall (1:28 min) • Tunnel 57 / Egon Schultz (2:40 min) • AMIGA (1:37 min) • Bernauer Street (4:07 min) • Former Bornholmer Straße Border Crossing (3:26 min) • Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn Sports Park (3:43 min) • Mauerpark (4:07 min) • Arkonaplatz (3:03 min) • Zion Church (3:44 min) • Prenzlauer Berg Fire Station (3:18 min) • Hirschhof (2:41 min) • Freya Klier (2:28 min) • Prater (2:28 min) • Oderberger Straße Municipal Baths (3:36 min) • Oderberger Street 2 (1:58 min) • Currywurst (2:16 min) • Konnopke's Snack Bar (2:43 min) • Gethsemane Church (2:09 min) • Museum in the Kulturbrauerei (1:06 min) • Kulturbrauerei (3:24 min) • Frannz-Club (2:31 min) • Husemann Street (1:58 min) • Jews' Passage (3:32 min) • Rosa Luxemburg Square (4:34 min) • Mont Klamott (1:43 min) • Samaritan Church (2:23 min) • Former Stasi Headquarters / Stasi Museum (2:48 min) • Berlin-Karlshorst Museum / Unconditional Surrender (2:54 min) • East Side Gallery (2:59 min) • House Squatting in the 1980s (2:34 min)
