A ninety-year-old water tower rises between the southern edge of Loun and the D7 highway. It has not been used for many years, sometimes thoughts of a change appear. It was talked about in 2009, 2016 and now again. The 36-meter-high building offers unique views of the city, the České středohoří, the Doupovské and Ore Mountains, and considerations about its use are therefore moving in this direction. A poll among the residents of Loun, which the town hall launched in recent days, can tell more.
The old waterworks in Louny.
| Video: Diary/Petr Kinšt
“The water tower has been one of the main symbols of Loun since 1936. Currently, the tower is only open on rare occasions and the only way to the roof is through a narrow tunnel and a ladder. We would like to use the potential of the tower as a tourist spot with an impressive view of the surrounding countryside. What is your opinion on this idea?” is stated in the poll on the portal www.munipolis.cz.
The councilors decided to announce the poll at their last meeting. They recommended dealing with the original design of the construction modifications of the former water tower, which arose from the architectural study “Window to the Českého středohoří” from 2009, and the creation of a new public space depending on the results of the survey.
The city management has dealt with the use of the water tower several times, so far without reaching a practical conclusion.
Louny revives the idea of building an observation tower
In the aforementioned year 2009, a study of the future possible form and technical solution of the building was created. This envisages building a spiral walkway on the outside under the top of the tower. The ascent to its roof is possible in the first part via a normal staircase, in the places of the former 1,000-hectoliter tank, one must climb a few meters up a ladder through a relatively narrow tube. Reconstruction of this entrance would be technically and financially demanding, therefore the study proposes building an outdoor ramp from the top floor.
“This way up ends with a viewing console at the top. The last arm of the spiral is on the longer side towards the main view (Krušné hory and České středohoří) and thus offers enough space for more visitors despite its small width. There will be panoramic maps at the top of the vantage point,” the study states.
At Loun, the approach to the D7 highway in the direction of Chomutov will be closed for two months
The idea of using the tower was revived by the city in 2016, but again it was not completed.
The extraordinary building was completed in 1936. The tower is an important landmark, an example of contemporary technical construction and a high-quality representative of functionalist architecture. At present, people in Louny can enjoy a view from above only from the corridor of the tower of the church of St. Nicholas in the very center of the city.
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Source: Diary/Petr Kinšt
