Defensive and pumping tower from 1558 on the Spree in Bautzen – a technical museum with machinery, viewing platform and art exhibitions.
August 5, 2026 – October 8, 2026
Sculptures, pen drawings and paintings in which the artist explores depictions of animals between origin and preservation. At the closing event on October 8, Peter Hecht himself performs songs with guitar.
Because the wells of Bautzen's old town, perched high above the Spree, no longer supplied enough water by the end of the 15th century, the city had a first waterworks built in 1496, still made of wood, under the direction of the Franciscan friar Martin Gregor. A well-known legend about a frog that supposedly clogged the pipe surrounds its commissioning. The wooden structure burned down in 1515.
The tower got its present form in 1558 under municipal master builder Wenzel Röhrscheidt the Elder: the round stone tower, about 47 meters high and tapering toward the top, was integrated into the town fortifications and thus also served as a defensive tower. A water wheel drove piston pumps that forced first river water and later groundwater up into a copper tank at the top of the tower; from there it flowed through wooden pipes to the Fleischmarkt. From 1877 the system fed the newly built water tower of the old town.
Only in 1965, when a new waterworks took over the supply, was the Wasserkunst shut down after more than 450 years. Following restorations in the 1980s and in 2006/07, it is now a technical museum: the pump technology can be seen in the machine house, and a Francis turbine installed around 1920 generates a small amount of electricity using the power of the Spree. Visitors climb 184 steps from the basement to the viewing platform. From May to October, changing exhibitions inside the tower show works by regional artists; since 1992 the Wasserkunstfest has also been held around the tower.
| Adults | €3.50 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €2.50School pupils, students, people with disabilities |
| Children & teens | €1.50Children up to 14 pay €1.50; no free age is listed. |
| Seniors | –No senior discount listed. |
| Visitors with disabilities | €2.50Reduced admission for people with disabilities. |
| Students & apprentices | €2.50Reduced admission for school pupils and students. |
| Groups (10+ people) | €2.50 per personGroup rate for 10 or more people. |
| Families | –No family ticket listed. |
Tower tours by prior arrangement: €40 per tour plus admission per person. Prices as of December 2023.
No official information on accessibility. The viewing platform can only be reached via 184 steps, and the machine house is in the basement.
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
Located in the old town on the bank of the Spree below the Michaeliskirche; about a 20-minute walk from Bautzen station.
In the summer months the Wasserkunstgarten invites visitors to linger; events such as the winter market between Christmas and New Year are also held there.
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| Good to know | The machine house can be visited year-round. Tours of the tower by prior arrangement only (tel. 03591 41588). From May to October, changing art exhibitions on two levels inside the tower. |
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