The water tower is one of the first unique metal structures designed by Vladimir Grigoryevich Shukhov, who was dubbed “the number one engineer” and recognized across the globe. He designed pipelines and pumps, built oil refineries, steam boilers and blast furnaces, and developed water supply systems for Russian towns. Among Vladimir Shukhov’s numerous projects and achievements, there are unique engineering structures that are connected with the All-Russia Industrial and Art Exhibition in Nizhny Novgorod.

One of his inventions was a water tower. The list of the exhibition’s structures mentioned the tower as a service tower “with a reservoir of 120,000 liters of drinking water”. Shukhov’s 37-meter-tall water tower became the highlight of the Nizhny Novgorod exhibition (just like Gustave Eiffel’s tower did at the 1889 World’s Fair).

It was easy to manufacture and assemble, as it consisted of straight metal rods. The tower stood high above the fair town, catching the eye with its unusual shape and an inscription on the tank: