Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
This summer, Polytechnic University celebrates the anniversary of one of the most beautiful buildings on campus — the famous Hydrotower, or simply the Tower, as it is now called. The ancient engineering structure, which supplied the institute with water until the mid-1950s, turned 120 years old.
There are many water towers in the world that are true architectural masterpieces. Our Hydrotower can easily be considered one of them. Its silhouette resembles either a medieval donjon or a 46-meter eastern pagoda. Despite the obvious stylistic difference from the surrounding buildings in the spirit of neoclassicism, the tower fits organically into the architectural ensemble. And everyone sees something of their own in it (that's why it is modern). Someone will think that this is a high tower in which "my joy" lives, and, for example, the guys from the student association "Engineering Alliance" are inspired by the polytechnic high-riseknightly tournaments, it looks very much like a watchtower of a medieval castle.
The night illumination of the top of the tower gives it a special charm, turning it into something like a wizard's cell.
During the Industrial Revolution, water towers became an integral part of urban infrastructure. They supplied water to factories, plants, and homes. The Polytechnic Institute, which had a vast territory with educational and residential buildings, needed a reliable water supply system. The uniqueness of the Polytechnic Tower was its dual purpose: in addition to its direct functionality, it served as a place for scientific research and hydraulic testing.
Like most of the Polytechnic buildings, the tower was designed by architects Ernst Wirrich and Iosif Padlevsky. In his memoirs, SPbPI professor Boris Menshutkin specified that the construction of the water tower and the hydraulic laboratory at it began in August 1902 and was completed three years later, in the summer of 1905.
The hydraulic laboratory was opened in an extension at the foot of the tower. Its first director was hydraulics teacher Iosif Esman. Here, students from the electromechanical, metallurgical, and shipbuilding departments tested water turbines and pumps.
In 1931, construction of a new extension to the Hydrotower was completed, housing the institute's hydraulic engineering laboratory, one of the first in the country. It was designed by employees of the hydraulics department under the supervision of Professor Nikolai Pavlovsky.
During the Great Patriotic War and the siege of Leningrad, since the tower was the dominant feature of the area, its observation deck housed a local air defense observation post. It also served as a kind of beacon, as Valery Klimov, director of the SPbPU History Museum, told the Politekhnik newspaper: In probably the year 1990, a conference dedicated to Victory Day was held at the Polytech. A participant in the Great Patriotic War spoke at it. He had never been to the Polytech before. But he said that he dreams of the hydro-tower at night, and when he wakes up, he sees it before his eyes. Why, you might ask? Because during the war he was a pilot, and there was a military airfield nearby in Sosnovka. And when he returned from battle, the main task was to see the hydro-tower. If he saw it, it meant he had crossed the front line, survived, and was landing. For him, our hydro tower became a symbol of life.
After the war, the tower returned to its original purpose – supplying water to the institute. It served this purpose until 1953.
Memorial plaques installed on the tower's façade in 1967 and 1987 serve as a reminder that outstanding Soviet scientists Academician Nikolai Nikolaevich Pavlovsky and the founder of the Department of Hydromechanical Engineering Ivan Nikolaevich Voznesensky worked here.
In many countries, water towers that have lost their original functions are recognized as architectural monuments and have found a second life, turning into museums, restaurants, hotels, business and cultural centers, and popular tourist attractions. At the Polytechnic, the tower has become the center of student life and youth technical creativity.
In 2003–2005, the Polytech Hydrotower was restored. In 2013, FabLab Polytech, a member of the global network of high-tech digital laboratories Fab Lab, opened in one of the extensions. Now it has been transformed into a student association of makers of the same name, where, as before, novice engineers learn to work on 3D printers, laser and milling machines. In another wing of the building, the Center for Patriotic Education of Youth "Rodina" appeared in December 2016. The guys, who are passionate about history, actually created an interactive museum there, a room of military glory with an exhibition of household items and equipment found in battle sites by searchers of the "Volunteer-Polytech" detachment. Activists of the military-historical club "Our Polytech" gather there today.
On October 19, 2019, the Boiling Point – Polytech was opened in the Tower – a space where lectures, trainings, strategic sessions and master classes are held.
There are so many ideas floating around in the Tower, so many interests and hobbies intersect, that in the end it became clear that it should be the location of the Center for Youth Trajectories, a structural subdivision of the SPbPU Youth Policy Department.
"We would like the Tower to be associated with creative youth work," says Andrey Dolgirev, Director of the Center for Youth Trajectories. "Our goal is to increase the number of participants in student associations and get kids involved in this environment. Many of them first come here to relax — to play table tennis or a computer console. Here they meet their peers who are involved in project activities, and they understand that they too can implement their ideas, participate in competitions, win a grant, maybe even create a startup. And we will advise them on how best to do this, and help them fill out applications."
Polytech offers many opportunities to those who want to make their dreams come true, and a significant part of these opportunities is concentrated in the Tower. Today, it is one of the most popular places in Polytech, it attracts young inventors, gathers creative and passionate people around itself. There is a fab lab and a robotics workshop, where Team Omnivores modifies combat robots, and the student design bureau "System Engineering". There is a real industrial robot – a gift from a Polytechnic graduate. The plans include creating a student media lab with photo and video equipment in the "trunk" of the Tower. And on the second floor there is a Center for Psychological Support of Students – also an important service.
The Tower is popular not only with those who are currently studying, but also with those who have already graduated from the university but remain in touch with it. Thus, twice a year there are meetings of graduates – ambassadors of the Polytechnic University. There is a special atmosphere of talent, imagination and creativity concentrated around the Tower, which is probably why university open-air celebrations such as "Beauty Day".
For all 120 years of its existence, the Tower served people, was a source and symbol of life, inspiration, scientific thought. In the anniversary year, I would like to wish this symbol and soul of the Polytechnic that people love and cherish it, and preserve it for many centuries to come.
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
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