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Origin and history

The water castle of Colmar, located Avenue Raymond-Poincaré in the southern part of the city, was built between 1884 and 1886 under the direction of architect Victor Huen and engineer Heinrich Grüner (or Henri Bruner according to the sources). This monument, with an initial capacity of 1,000 to 1,200 m3, is a remarkable example of German architecture of the time, with elements such as broken arches, modillons, and a bossing apparatus. It was inaugurated on 22 June 1886 and operated as a water reservoir until 1983, when it was decommissioned due to its insufficient capacity.

Between 1959 and 1985, the water castle housed the collections of the Museum of Natural History and Ethnography of Colmar, the time of the development of its new site rue Turenne. The building, with the exception of its 1961 roof, was listed as historic monuments on 16 April 1993. Today, it remains the oldest water castle preserved in the Greater East region, although it is no longer used for its initial function.

The building is distinguished by its 12.3 meters in diameter and 53 meters in height, surrounded by a park of 13,990 m2, the Château d'eau Park. It is located near the Colmar Court of Appeal. Its architecture, marked by mâchicoulis and an imposing facade, reflects the German influence of the period, while Alsace was integrated into the German Empire after the Franco-Prussian war of 1870.

The water castle is owned by the municipality of Colmar and constitutes an important testimony of the industrial and architectural history of the city. Its precise location is indicated as being both on Raymond-Poincaré Avenue and, according to some sources, near Joffre Avenue, reflecting minor uncertainty in the available geographic data.

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