By the beginning of the 20th century, Siófok had become one of the most popular holiday resorts on Lake Balaton. The development required the construction of a modern water and sewage network.
On 24 March 1912, the newspaper Veszprém County (Siófok belonged to Veszprém County at that time) reported the following. A public tender was announced for the construction of the work. The works consist of: 7 drilled wells, water collection, dewatering equipment, 12 km of cast iron pipelines, house connection pipes, construction of a water tower with a capacity of 250 m³."
In the spring of that year, work began on the construction of the water pipeline, which was regularly reported in the press.
The Veszprém Gazette of 19 October 1912 reported that the Siofok waterworks had been handed over at a cost of 1 million crowns. The paper says that "Siófok has gained drinking water with a very pleasant taste."
The 41.3 m high reinforced concrete tower, which was built together with the water mains, was designed by engineers Árpád Guth and Jenő Gergely.
In April 1914, the Balatonvidék newspaper mentioned about the waterworks. The pavements are asphalted in the whole area."
In 1929, the wells belonging to the waterworks ran dry due to a significant increase in consumption and were unable to supply the necessary quantity. At that time, they switched to drawing water from Lake Balaton, as this was considered the most economical solution. In 1935 the waterworks was rebuilt on the basis of plans by Dezső Kaáli Nagy.
In 1944 the fighting reached Siófok. From December the waterworks were closed due to lack of electricity. In April 1945, water supply was restored in parts of the town by steam engine. As the water tower had also been damaged, water was initially supplied to the ground floor houses for 2-2 hours every day in the morning and afternoon.
In 1950, a 200 mm pipe was built between the waterworks and the water tower, parallel to the old 150 mm pressure pipe.
The constant increase in consumption made it necessary to extend the network. The works were carried out between 1955 and 1963. In addition to the new pipelines, a new reservoir and a new 500 m³ water tower was built in the Balatonszéplak part of the settlement, in today's Ignác Végh Square. The tower was demolished in 1994.
In 1968 the construction of the surface waterworks in Szekszepszárd was started as part of the Southeast Balaton regional system, which was
was commissioned in 1973. Thus, the water tower in the town centre lost its importance and its role in the water supply was completed.
Over the decades, the tower has become a symbol of Siófok and its central location made it an obvious choice for tourism.
In 1992, the local government became the owner of the water tower, and the first rural Tourinform office in the country was opened in the tower. Initially the office was only open from May to September, but after the tower's renovation in 1998 it found a permanent home.
A complete reconstruction of the building began in 2010.
The works were completed by autumn 2011.The Tourinform office was officially inaugurated on 10 February 2012.The former water tank was replaced by a viewing platform.In 2023, the tower was renewed again, with two spectacular exhibitions to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of sculptor Imre Varga and the 55th anniversary of the inauguration of Siófok as a town.For more information on the exhibitions, please click here.
WATER TOWER
Opening hours:
Tuesday-Saturday: 10:00 - 12:00, 12-30 - 16:00 Monday, Sunday: closed
Phone +36 20 495 3501 and +36 20 495 3559
E-mail: viztorony@konyvtar-siofok.huFacebook page: https://www.facebook.com/viztorony.siofokInstagram page: https://www.instagram.com/viztorony_siofok/
