Tours will begin on November 15 in the old water tower on Batareynaya Hill in Vyborg. The organizers of the V-Tower project told journalists about the plans. They are turning the building, a recognized architectural monument, into a cultural center with a museum, a library, and a space for exhibitions and performances.
In the summer, the tower was briefly opened to visitors to show its interior before work began. There were so many people interested that the organizers decided to offer tours again. Three programs are now available for visitors.
Tour Programs
The regular tour, “Journey into the Tower,” is dedicated to the history of the building, its creators, and the features of industrial architecture. Visitors will be able to look inside the huge tanks and appreciate the unusual acoustics. These tours will run from November 15 to December 20. On weekdays, sessions are scheduled from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and on Saturdays, every hour from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM. A ticket costs one thousand rubles, or 500 rubles for children and concession categories.
The curatorial program with Anastasia Kononova, the ideologist of the cultural center, will allow visitors to learn more about the building’s historical layers and hear urban legends. Participants will be invited to interact with the architecture through sound and touch, becoming co-authors of a sound performance. These tours will take place on Saturdays from November 21 to December 19, from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM. The cost is two thousand rubles.
It is also possible to book a private tour for a group of up to five people. A regular tour costs 10 thousand rubles, and a curatorial tour costs 20 thousand. They are available from November 15 to December 20.
The organizers note that the tower can only be accessed with a ticket purchased in advance. It can be bought on the day of the visit, but no later than 15 minutes before the start of the session. In addition to concessions, free tickets are also available. Tour registration is available via the link.
We are not opening the space, but merely cracking open the doors for those who are interested and care. Subsequently, the building will be adapted for installations and performances, exhibitions will be held here, and a museum of architecture and a library with rare editions will open.
— Anastasia Kononova, co-owner of the tower
History of the Tower
The water tower on Batareynaya Hill was built in 1930 to a design by the Finnish architect Väinö Keinänen. It survived three military conflicts. The building served its intended purpose for only 12 years: it was closed in 1942 and mothballed after the war. During the perestroika years, the tower was privatized and opened as a business center with a store, a car service station, a sauna, a restaurant, and a nightclub.
The restoration of the tower is a private initiative. The new owners, spouses Anastasia and Oleg Kononov, bought the building after accidentally seeing a sale advertisement. The transaction took a year to complete, but they did not give up on their plan to turn it into a cultural center.
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