WATER TOWER
The water tower was built in 1895 and is one of the tallest buildings in Ełk.
It was one of the elements enabling the supply of water to the inhabitants of Ełk. This process took place in the following way: water obtained from six deep wells (located in the forest 4 km from Ełk) was collected in a retention reservoir. From there, it was pumped through a 7 km pipe to the water tower, where, raised to the maximum height, it gained appropriate pressure values and flowed through a 30-kilometer distribution network to 80% (i.e. 20 thousand) of the inhabitants of Ełk. It was used for eighty years, until a modern water supply system was built in the 1970s.
Today, the Tower serves only as a tourist attraction. Inside there is the Museum of Water Drops, where we can learn about old pumping machines, everyday objects from several decades ago and see a gallery of historical photographs of Ełk from the beginning of the 20th century.
The Museum of Drops of Water is open to visitors from May 1 to September 30 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
The entrance fee to the museum is a voluntary donation. The facility is owned by the Association of the German National Minority "Mazury" in Ełk. The office is open every Friday from 10:30 to 12:30. Phone: 87 621 32 00, e-mail: stowarzyszeniemazury.elk@gmail.com
Photo gallery