Agenskalns Water Tower

Brief information

The upper part of this water tower was once raised: in 1939, the 900-ton reservoir was jacked up 7.5 meters higher and the base was built up. The reason was quite urban: Āgenskalns had gained more multi-story buildings, and the tower’s former height was no longer enough.

The “Alise” tower was built in 1910 and later received the status of an architectural monument of national significance. Since 1970 it has no longer operated as part of the water supply system, so today it is more interesting to read it as an engineering structure adapted to the growth of the district, rather than simply as an old brick tower.

What to notice right away

It is worth comparing the tower’s three tiers. At the bottom you can see a plinth made of limestone; above it the red brick begins, and higher still is the reservoir section. This change of materials helps distinguish the support from the part for which the tower was built.

In the reservoir section you can notice vertical lesenes — flat projections on the wall — ceramic tiles, and tall window openings. The windows alternate with plastered and unplastered surfaces, so the top of the tower looks not like a simple tank on a support, but like a carefully designed architectural section. At the entrance there is a separate sign of urban status: a stone portal with a stylized coat of arms of Riga. On the roof there is a globe-shaped weather vane: it weighs 300 kilograms, was damaged by wind in 2015, and was repaired in 2016.