Kolín has started to renovate the water tower; it will be transformed into a lookout tower

Kolín - Kolín has begun renovations on the former water tower, which will become an observation tower. During the winter months, workers prepared the construction site and erected scaffolding both externally and internally, with major work starting in the coming days. Repairs costing approximately eight million crowns are expected to be completed by June of this year, said Václav Horák from the city's regional development department to ČTK. The Kolín water tower has been a technical monument since 2010. Most of the repair costs will be covered by grants from European funds.
    The first tier of the tower will be accessible and will offer visitors a projection from the upper floor through six cameras placed on the observation deck. Originally, the lower tier was planned to include seating with refreshments. "For a period of five years, there cannot be any commercial operations here due to grant regulations, so there will only be an observation terrace for visitors," said Horák. An information center will be located on the ground floor.
    Visitors to the observation tower will have to climb more than 400 steps to reach the highest viewpoint. "On the walls, a visualization with bubbles, fog, and sound effects will be projected to create the illusion of walking on water. The first observation floor will be at the top, followed by another staircase and a second observation floor," added Horák. There are also plans for an exhibition of models of Kolín's technical enterprises.
    The Kolín water tower is one of the city’s landmarks. It is currently empty and unused. It was built in 1930 by architects František Janda and Jan Hráský. The original owner, a water management company, sold it to a private individual years ago, who then sold it to another interested party. In the meantime, the building fell into disrepair. Eventually, it was acquired by the city. After the reconstruction, the water tower is expected to be illuminated again, and the city also plans to improve the area around the water tower and install play equipment for children in the future.