Description of the attraction
At present, the city of Staraya Russa pays great attention to the preservation of the cultural heritage and restoration of the historical appearance. One of the steps on this path was emergency and design work on the water tower, which is a monument of culture and history and is considered one of the symbols of this city.
More than a century ago, in 1909, or rather on November 14, the city solemnly celebrated the commissioning of the city water supply system, which was assembled by the "Society of the Bryansk Plant". It is difficult to overestimate the significance of this event. Staraya Russa needed a water supply system, because there was a constant lack of clean water that would be suitable for drinking. The brackish water from Policity was of little use for water intake. However, Porusya and Pererytitsa, which originated in a swampy area, were not suitable for this purpose. The townspeople experienced a severe shortage of water, they found a way out in the constant digging of ponds. The ponds were filled with rainwater, but the abundance of mosquitoes above them was a frequent cause of epidemics and serious diseases among the population. All the same, Rushans were happy with such water. They used it as a drink. The water carriers, who delivered water in barrels, transported by horse, waited like manna from heaven. For many years they were looking for life-giving moisture, until they absolutely accidentally found it in Dubovitsy, at a depth of a little less than two meters.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the construction of a water supply began. All hydraulic structures were installed: boreholes, water-folding booths, fire hydrants. Pipes were laid through Polist and in 1908 they began construction of a "water pump" - that was the name of the water tower at that time. The height of the building was almost fifty meters, the walls were 125 cm thick. The tower, laid out of red brick, consisting of four floors, appears in the form of a hexagon, which expands in the upper part due to bay windows. Initially, the roof had a hipped roof.
The tower immediately becomes a "postcard hit". Thanks to this structure, the city becomes recognizable among hundreds of others. The tower is not just the central element of the shopping area ensemble, but also one of the main vertical dominants of Staraya Russa.
During the Great Patriotic War, the tower suffered significant damage - the upper tier was broken, the floors, and the filling of the openings were lost. But due to the excellent quality of construction, the main structures of the tower have been preserved. During the restoration work, the window openings were laid, and a wooden superstructure with a tapered roof was made in place of the dismantled upper tier.
In this form, the tower existed until December 2010. There is no exact information about when the tower was no longer used for its intended purpose. It probably operated in the postwar years. However, it is known for sure that since then, no large-scale repair work has been carried out on the monument. However, a few years ago, everything changed. The society began to really think about the preservation of the country's cultural heritage. In February 2011, the Interregional Scientific and Restoration Design Association (Moscow) completed the development of scientific and design documentation, which is necessary for the restoration work of the water tower, giving it the appearance in which it had been before the Great Patriotic War. Carrying out restoration work in the water tower is included in the plans of the city administration, but the question of its adaptation for direct use remains open today.
