Wasserturm Prenzlauer Berg

The 30 metre tower is known locally as "Dicker Hermann" and forms part of a former waterworks complex with reservoirs, a generator building, and water-level structures. [1]

The tower is now residential, while the reservoirs can host public art and cultural events. [1][2]

The address is Knaackstraße 23, 10405 Berlin, with the wider site also described at Knaackstraße and Kolmarer Straße. [1][2]

No booking is needed for the public park grounds. A booking or event ticket may be needed for a reservoir event, and that process is UNVERIFIED. [1][2]

Planning cost on 2026-08-02 is EUR 0 for the public grounds; prices for reservoir events are UNVERIFIED. [1][2]

The park is reached by steep steps, and the site has a playground and paths. [1]

The checked official pages do not publish general park opening hours. [1][2]

The reservoirs are used for cultural events in the summer months, and the rose slope and picnic area are most useful in warm weather. [1][2]

Berlin's neighborhood guidance asks visitors to keep noise down after 22:00. [1]

The site suits walkers, families, picnickers, and children using the playground. [1][2]

People who want a tower climb, a museum interior, or a weatherproof attraction should plan a scheduled reservoir event or choose another place because the tower is residential. [1]

UNVERIFIED planning estimate: allow 20 to 45 minutes for the park, exterior, and memorial context, with more time for a scheduled event. [1][2]

The echo in the large former tank lasts about 18 seconds, while the small tank echo lasts four to five seconds. [1]

The tanks can be cold, so warm clothing is advised for a tank event. [1]

The ten apartments below the water tank are still occupied. [1]

The first waterworks on the site were built in 1856 by the English engineer Henry Gill, and the later round tower was built in 1875 with a tank holding 1,200 cubic metres. [1]

Another official Berlin source dates the protected complex from 1852 to 1877 and attributes its construction to the English Waterworks Company, so the precise authorship of each component is UNVERIFIED. [1]

The waterworks supplied northern Berlin until about 1914, and the upper tank remained in use until 1952. [1][2]

From 1922 to 1930 the engine house held a soup kitchen, the waterworks handed the property to Prenzlauer Berg in 1931, and SA troops used the engine houses and reservoirs as one of their first wild concentration camps in 1933. [1]

The park was laid out from 1915 by Albert Brodersen, reshaped in 1937 by Paul Mittelstädt, and restored between 2000 and 2006 after the site received monument protection in 1990. [1]

The checked pages do not identify the current owner of the tower, so current ownership changes are UNVERIFIED. [1][2]

The checked pages do not document a fire or protest at the site, so both are UNVERIFIED. [1][2]