Jozsef Gruber Reservoir - Jozsef Gruber Reservoir

It is worth strolling along the northern roads of Gellért Hill from Tabán, as it offers a wonderful panorama on the Pest side of the town, as well as the Gellért Hill Reservoir, the park above and the Lookout statue. The Gruber József Reservoir is the largest reservoir in Budapest. He was named after József Gruber, a mechanical engineer, associate professor at the Institute of Aerodynamics at the University of Technology, head of the Department of Fluid Mechanics, dean of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and rector of the Budapest University of Technology and Economics. By King Matthias in the XV. With the exception of the pipe system built in the 19th century, the first water pipes were only found in the 19th century. century. Institutional water supply began in Budapest in 1868, while Buda and Pest were supplied by drinking water workers. The problem of continuous water scarcity could only be eliminated by the construction of a central, high-capacity water reservoir. The eastern side of Gellert Hill was the ideal place to build a reservoir: it was an unbuilt area. Due to its height it was possible to bring water to the whole of Budapest with free fall, and it was located in the middle of the city. The Gellért Hill Reservoir was built in 1902, and a year later, in 1903, its operation began. Two other reservoirs have already been built, of which the 17,500 cubic meter basin, established in 1904, is no longer in operation. However, in the early 1950s there was still a lack of water - even in the summers of the 1980s there was often a water restriction and a watering ban, and even the upper floors of multi-storey houses had no water at all. Therefore, the reservoir was expanded between 1974 and 1980. Several new pools have been established, the largest of which was the construction of the Gellért Hill Cave Pool, which already had a capacity of 30,000 cubic meters. This pool is still in operation today and is connected to another, larger and more modern storage. The reservoir plays an important role in the continuous supply of water in Budapest, because the increased water demand during the daytime is fulfilled by the replenishment of the reservoir at night. In addition, the water reservoir can be used to control the water pressure and also serve as an emergency reserve for the water stored in the facility. The shape of the pools resembles two opposing, interlocking pianos. Due to this design technique, water flows continuously - this construction method prevents water quality deterioration. Drinking water first comes from the wells of Szentendre Island and Csepel Island to the pump house of Békásmegyer, then from there to the Gellért Hill Reservoir through huge diameter pipelines. The two largest pools have storage capacity of 2x40,000 cubic meters. The slab structure of the pools is supported by 2x106 pillars, which expand at the bottom and at the top at the end. The reservoir has an area of ​​2x5000 square meters and its walls are approximately 35 centimeters thick. Today, the water reservoir is operated by the Budapest Waterworks. The container can be entered on open days, but the water is drained. At the top of the reservoir you will find the Lookout Stone statue from which you can enjoy a beautiful panorama.

The place is unfortunately neglected, dirty, garbage. Sometimes it is also possible to view the reservoir. If it were opened several times, perhaps the area would be more tidy. The view of the castle district in particular is really impressive. For me, exterior concrete structures are foreign to the landscape, I don’t like them. It could have been done more beautifully, but it suited the architectural taste of the time.

My couple lives here in the area and is very happy with the initiative that the Gellért Hill Reservoir can play a new function. We think that Urnatemető can be a respectful new function, we hope it will be realized.