One thing I love about this water tower is its overall confusion: it’s called Vršovice Water Tower, sometimes Michle Water Tower, it’s near Pankrác metro station, and the water here used to come from Podolí. That’s four different Prague neighbourhoods connected in one building! And the best thing is the name of the district where the tower is placed: Green Fox.
Vršovická vodárna is also one of the hidden Prague architectural gems: it was designed by Jan Kotěra, one of the key figures of modern architecture in Bohemia. It was planned and built in 1906 when art deco was just starting – and this water tower was so so different from everything that was built at that time. It is about 60m tall and was used until 1975 – that’s a long time, isn’t it? Especially if you know that the whole system had to be operated manually and had to be frequently checked.
That is actually why there is not only the water tower (the tallest building), the actual water tanks (not seen, they are underground of course) and an engine building, but also a cute house for the operator/warden and his family. These four buildings are in a small park and you can relax there and enjoy modern Kotěra architecture.
