Water reservoir 1 - Water reservoirs Žlutý kopec

The oldest of the reservoirs was built in 1874 according to the project of the Londoner Thomas Docwra on the northwest side of the complex, near Tvrdý Street. It stands out among its brethren for its English-inspired design and is a unique waterworks of European importance. The load-bearing system of massive brick walls is lightened by so-called muzzle windows. The floor is not flat, it is formed by buttresses which, together with the walls and arches, form a perfect and structurally functional unit. The reservoir has one tank divided into eleven parallel compartments connected by a connecting corridor on the north side of the building. Thanks to its precise construction, it gives the impression of an infinite and ever-receding space. Its approximate dimensions are 45 × 45 m, the vault reaches a height of 6.5 m and the volume is more than 9.5 million litres.

Designer

Thomas Docwra

Volume

9.5 million liters

Dimensions

45 × 45 m
Height 6.5 m

Material

Red fired bricks

To this day, the water tank has been preserved thanks to the use of the best construction technology from red fired bricks. These are hand-made, so-called sharply fired bricks, which have undergone a heat treatment of more than 1000 °C. In this process, they were literally fused into brick stone, designed for constructions and masonry that are exposed to extreme climatic conditions. The bricks for the constructions were supplied by several Brno brick factories and come from the same period as the bricks used for the construction of the Red Church or the Turnhalle (gymnasium) under Špilberk.