Szablyár Péter: Sky-high - Our Budapest (Budapest, 2007)

Water Towers

The Lakatos út water tower

Lakatos út, District XVIII

The huge population growth in the wake of the 1962-67 construction of the Lakatos út housing estate in Pestlőrinc meant a sharp increase in drinking-water demands. That was why the construction of a 60-70 metre high water tower with a capacity of 3,000 cubic metres was decided on in the early 1980s. Built by the Waterworks Construction Co. to plans by László Tóth (of Mélyépterv), the new tower was put into operation in August 1983. The leakage-tested, chalice-shaped basin has a storage capacity of 3,500 cubic metres. After being constructed separately as an independent structural unit on the ground, the reservoir — a tank holding 3,500 tons of water — was lifted with hydraulic presses to the top of the stem, which was made with sliding-shutter technology. There are two independent compartments inside.

■ The Lakatoi lit water tower