New Delft Water Walk
The 29-metre-high water tower, with its reservoir containing 600,000 litres, was built in 1895 to supply the city of Delft with drinking water. It was in use until 1996, after which is wassold. In 2007, the tower went through a significant interior renovation whereby the original iron reservoir was preserved. In May 2022 it opened to the public, and the building is used as a work and meeting space. It is also open to visitors during weekends and on the annual ‘Open Monument Day’. The former underground water reservoir and pump house host a small museum for contemporary art and ecology named RADIUS. Given this focus, the water tower and RADIUS form the logical end-point for the New Delft Water Walk.
Water Tower history
Next to the water tower lies the so-called water cellar, a large underground drinking water reservoir with a volume of 1,900,000 litres. This water was pumped up to the 600,000 litre reservoir in the water tower. The pump house still exists and is part of the RADIUS complex. Originally, the water was taken from the dunes near Monster. In 1921, Delft became connected to the Rotterdam water supply network, which took water from the Maas River. Then, in 1972, two reservoirs in the Wippolder region of Delft, each with a capacity of 3,000,000 litres, were put into use, and the water tower only functioned to regulate the pressure in the water drinking system. Also that function became obsolete in 1996 and the entire water tower complex was closed.
After extensive reconstruction, RADIUS opened its doors in May 2022. RADIUS is a centre for contemporary art and ecology, aiming to explain the issues of climate change to its visitors and point out the need for adaptation. Exhibitions, as well as public events and educational projects are organised in the former water cellar reservoir.
The water tower has meeting rooms and catering facilities, and from the roof you have a beautiful view over the city of Delft. More information about the water tower can be found here and about RADIUS here.
