Wasserturm Groß Sand

The Groß Sand Water Tower rises in Hamburg's Wilhelmsburg district, on the grounds of the Catholic hospital of the same name. Built between 1910 and 1911 to designs by architect Wilhelm Brünicke, it was originally meant to maintain water pressure for the then-growing community. The octagonal tower, shaped by the Heimatschutz architectural style, stands 46 meters tall and impresses with its facade of Boizenburg clinker bricks. The facade conceals the load-bearing reinforced-concrete structure, which consists of eight pillars arranged in a circle and resting on a deep pile foundation. Architectural highlights include the vertical rows of windows in the lower section, a gallery supported by brackets, and the set-back section of the water tank with its larger window area and decorative brickwork. At the top, a copper-clad conical roof with a ventilation cupola and dormers completes the ensemble. After it was decommissioned in 1957, the tower was first converted into emergency housing; since 1991 it has belonged to the parish of St. Bonifatius, which continues to use it as living space.