Water Castle

THE CASTLE OF ARTS (formerly the Water Castle) – a true historical monument and a splendid medieval-style construction – has become the symbol of the city Drobeta Turnu Severin.

The Water Castle project was approved by the Communal Council on June 10, 1910, based on the plans of engineer Elie Radu. The castle was to be built at the city’s highest elevation, 104 meters, to allow efficient water distribution throughout the urban area. It was completed in 1913 and inaugurated a year later, when the entire city water supply system was put into operation. At the opening ceremony were present Prime Minister I.I.C. Brătianu, ministers Al. Constantinescu and V. Gh. Mortun, Bishop Ghenadie of Râmnic-Noul Severin, and local officials of the time.

“Mayor Sabin Popescu commissioned the drafting of a project but rejected the architects’ initial offer—a building with a ground floor and upper floor—because he wanted a symbolic structure for the Danube city. Thus, architect-engineer Elie Radu from Bucharest was engaged, and he designed the project as it appears today. What’s important is that the project was also co-signed and approved by another titan of construction, Anghel Saligny, builder of the Cernavodă bridge. That gives us the full measure of the building’s significance to the people of Severin,” historian Mircea Borcoman recounts in a book dedicated to the structure.

For a long time (until the late 1970s), the building was used and systematically modernized for its original purpose: supplying water to the city. It successfully withstood both World Wars, and during the second, it was even used as a reference point by enemy aviation and bombed several times. However, due to its solid construction, the damage was minor. Some sources claim that this was the first structure in Eastern Europe to use reinforced concrete.

After the 1980s, with Romania’s industrial boom, Drobeta Turnu Severin experienced a population increase and a surge in residential and industrial buildings, which increased water demand. As a result, the Water Castle could no longer meet requirements, and a new water supply technology was adopted.

The building slowly deteriorated until a brilliant idea from the local administration led to a European funding project for its restoration. After rehabilitation, a strategic transformation was launched to convert the Water Castle into the Castle of Arts, its current name. Through innovative, modern, and even spectacular cultural projects, the building has become one of the city’s most attractive tourist destinations.

Today, it hosts a true vertical museum, unique in Romania. Its levels feature unusual and even unique exhibitions in the country, operated by a professional staff, with a visitation program akin to traditional museums. It also serves as a genuine venue for cultural events: exhibitions, book launches, gatherings, and more.

Finally, it is worth noting that today the Castle of Arts in Drobeta Turnu Severin is a listed historical heritage building, administered by the local council and integrated into a wide-ranging national and international tourism development plan. For its exemplary touristic redevelopment, the Drobeta Turnu Severin City Hall received a special award at one of Europe’s major tourism fairs, held in Vienna, Austria, in the summer of 2019.