Tour of the City

The Water-Tower is Mannheim's most famous landmark. It dominates the Friedrichsplatz and was built in 1886 according to plans of the then only 24-year-old architect Gustav Halmhuber. The construction is made of yellow sandstone, has a height of about 60 metres, holds 2000 cubic metres of water and is built in the Roman monumental style. The top of the Water-Tower is adorned by a statue of Amphitrite, the wife of the god of the sea, Poseidon. Bronze groups of mermaids and tritons adorn a small pool and two groups of centaurs made of stone can be found at the big pool. The park at the foot of the Water-Tower was designed by Bruno Schmitz (1901-03). The semicircular arcades made of red sandstone, together with the Festival Hall and the Art Gallery, which face each other across the park, were a model of modern urban development even before World War I.

During the summer the park surrounding the Water-Tower is a popular meeting-place for people of every age, a place to celebrate or to relax for a few hours away from the bustle of city life. When the sun sets, the fountains are bathed in artificial light. 

Mannheim's most famous landmark does not however loose its charm during the winter. The extremely popular Christmas fair around the Water-Tower helps create a pre-Christmas mood.