Gołdap Water Tower

The brick water tower on Paderewskiego Street is one of the highest points in Gołdap and one of the town's few historic buildings. It stands 46.5 m tall, was built in 1905, and since 2009 it has held a café and two viewing terraces instead of water, with views over the whole town and the surrounding forests.

History: from waterworks to viewpoint

The tower was built in 1905 by the Gdańsk firm A. W. Müller as part of the town's water supply system. Before that, residents drew water from nine town pumps, four of them in the centre. The tower was one of the few buildings in Gołdap to survive both world wars – mainly bullet marks remain. It supplied the town with water until the winter of 1986, when the tank cracked, and then began to decay. It has been on the heritage register since 1991.

In January 2008 a new owner, the entrepreneur and water-tower enthusiast Henryk Górny, began a thorough renovation. Two viewing terraces were built around the dome and higher up by the lantern, a café was fitted out below the platform and a souvenir shop on the ground floor. The official opening took place in the summer of 2009.

What to see

The tower is built of ceramic brick on a circular plan, although the ground floor is hexagonal on the outside. The façade has three parts: a ground floor on a stone plinth, a brick shaft and the rendered casing of the tank, which held 250 m³ of water. It is crowned by a hemispherical dome with an octagonal lantern and spire. At the entrance, look at the wooden door bearing Gołdap's coat of arms and the date "1905" on the lintel, along with the wrought-iron hinges and a leaf-shaped handle. Inside, two pipes that once linked the tank to the town network run between the flights of stairs.

Tripto tips

The tower opens seasonally – in 2026 the season began on 24 April. According to the price list on its website, an adult ticket costs PLN 20, pupils, students and pensioners pay PLN 15, and children under 7 go free; small pets are welcome. Visitor parking (including for coaches) is free. Allow about an hour including coffee at the top, and check opening hours before you go. You can go up by lift or on foot, passing a small gallery on the way. The upper terrace is narrow and reached by external metal stairs, so anyone afraid of heights may prefer to stay on the lower level.