The Kolín Town Hall is preparing changes to the area surrounding the former water tower

KOLÍN - The Kolín City Hall is preparing modifications to the surroundings of the former water tower, which is one of the city's landmarks. The city became the owner of the dilapidated structure from the 1930s a few months ago. What to do with it, however, is still uncertain. The councilors have high hopes for the development of residential construction in its vicinity. The tower will become attractive, and entrepreneurs will surely be interested in it, said Deputy Mayor Jiří Buřič to ČTK.
The area around the water tower is expected to change soon. Not only will the park surrounding it be modified. The city will close the children's traffic playground adjacent to it; a new one will be built near the renovated swimming pool. The freed-up land will be transformed into building plots for family houses. Additionally, 560 apartments for employees of the TPCA car factory have started to be built within sight of the tower.
According to Buřič, the city does not want to embark on the repair and use of the water tower on its own. The Deputy Mayor believes that, given the extensive change of the area, a potential interested party for the building will certainly emerge, and the City Hall will rent it to them. According to previous surveys, residents would welcome not only a lookout tower but also an ice cream shop or a wine bar in it.
The water tower was built in 1930 and is the work of 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. Meanwhile, the building fell into disrepair. The councilors decided at the end of last year to purchase the structure for 2.7 million crowns.
The City Hall plans to illuminate the water tower this year. At the same time, it will also light up another Kolín landmark, the stone tower called Prachovna, built probably shortly after the Hussite Wars as a defensive bastion or before 1500 as part of the modifications of the city fortifications. According to Buřič, the city has half a million crowns in the budget for this purpose.