About the Bīriņi Castle Water Tower
What can visitors see in the Water Tower?
- On the first floor, an old brick well is visible under the glass floor, as well as a model of the Water Tower;
- on the second floor, there is a meditative water sound and light room;
- on the third floor – a description of the history;
- on the fourth floor, we reach the former water tank, from which it is possible to climb to the roof of the tower and view the wind rotor, wings from below and the surroundings of the manor farm from above.
The restored Bīriņu Castle Water Tower is open for viewing every day at no additional charge, by paying an entrance fee to the territory.
Historical facts
The Bīriņi Manor Tower was built in the main courtyard of the castle, near the castle building, which was built from 1857 to 1860 according to the design of the Riga architect Friedrich Wilhelm Hess. According to historical data, the owner of the manor, Augusts Pistolkorss, built a beautiful brick well in 1863, which was ~ 10 axes or 14.91 meters deep with a water pipe to the manor kitchen. The work was supervised by a foreigner, Deckert. Until then, water was supplied by 2 horse-drawn carts from the lake. To improve and simplify the water supply, a Water Tower was built above the well around 1872. It could pump water from the well with the help of the wind and direct it to the castle and other buildings in the manor center. The architecture of the tower was refined, giving it a neo-Gothic appearance in accordance with the 19th century. The tower is crowned with stone cuckoos.
