Why Berlin’s street fountains are still important today
Humboldt University introduces Timothy Moss, senior researcher at IRI THESys
World Water Day on 22 March serves as a reminder of just how precious – and yet how limited – clean water is. This issue is also a focus of Timothy Moss, a senior researcher at IRI THESys at Humboldt University.
For over 30 years, Timothy Moss has been researching urban energy and water systems from a historical and social science perspective. Berlin’s street fountains are also a key focus of his research. In the event of a supply emergency, the pumps could serve as an off-grid source of water. “Looking back to think forward – not just reflecting on history, but rethinking with it” is Prof. Dr Timothy Moss’s motto. The Senior Researcher at IRI THESys at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin looks to Berlin’s past infrastructures and technologies to gain ideas for solutions for the future. He does this not only in an academic context, but in collaboration with various partners from across society – and with the help of a surprise box.
In his current project on “usable pasts” within the DFG project “Past-Proofing Infrastructure Futures”, he brings together representatives from Berlin’s senate administrations, utility and waste management companies, museums and environmental groups to generate new ideas from past debates, decisions and strategies, and to tackle current crises involving infrastructure systems. This involves, for example, contingency plans for Berlin’s water supply or the question of how the city’s energy supply can be secured. These are problems Berlin has faced before – and for which the city found solutions. Examples range from supply shortages during the Kapp Putsch after the First World War to the blockade of West Berlin in 1948–49 and the subsequent political division of the city. “At the start of the workshops with the stakeholders, I sometimes have to dispel false expectations,” says Moss with a laugh, “I don’t have any solutions ready!” He is usually surprised himself by the ideas that emerge during the meetings and is delighted by the positive feedback from the participants.
A peek into the surprise box
To get the participants in the right frame of mind, Moss uses a surprise box. It contains various historical documents or artefacts relating to the workshop topic: archive materials, newspaper articles, photos and graphics. The discussions do not focus solely on success stories. One workshop, for instance, took participants back to the 1920s, when those in charge feared shortages in Berlin’s water supply due to a sharp rise in population. A detailed plan envisaged importing water from the Oder and Elbe rivers. The idea was rejected at the time, and Berlin has not yet reached the expected population increase of twelve million people. “There is no institutional memory; many water management experts are not even aware of this plan, yet it is relevant because similar considerations exist today,” explains Moss.
For the urban and infrastructure historian, engaging with a wider audience began during the pandemic. By the end of 2020, he had his newly published book “Remaking Berlin. A History of the City through Infrastructure, 1920–2020” in his hands. “A book launch wasn’t possible at the time due to the pandemic,” recalls Moss, who is also an honorary professor at Leibniz University Hannover. Together with his colleague, science communicator Pauline Münch, he developed a new format: the “Walkshops”. These guided tours for interested members of the public took participants to five historic sites in Charlottenburg associated with Berlin’s electricity and gas generation, water supply and wastewater disposal. These include, for example, the former Charlottenburg gasworks and the Ruths steam storage plant.
The Walkshops were well received by the public. There is also a digital version featuring audio clips, film and photographic material that can be viewed on a computer. In 2023, Münch and Moss were awarded the Conrad Matschoß Prize in the ‘popular science communication’ category by the Association of German Engineers (VDI).
Use water pumps regularly
One of the stops on the walking tours is a cast-iron street fountain, of the kind frequently found in Berlin. Originally, these pumps – operated solely by muscle power – were installed to provide water for drinking, cooking and washing, as well as for firefighting and watering horses. When the central water supply was introduced in 1856, the street fountains did not disappear, but were simply continued to be used by the people of Berlin – right up to the present day. Whilst their original functions lost importance, new ones emerged.
During the Berlin Blockade, the pumps were used more frequently because the water supply in the western part of the city had been cut off. The number of water pumps actually rose significantly in this part of the city during the Cold War and did not decline as it did in the eastern part or in other cities.
Today, there are 2,091 pumps in Berlin; they are used to water drought-stricken trees or to educate people about groundwater. The environmental organisation BUND is particularly committed to this cause, aiming to encourage collective maintenance of the pumps by Berlin’s urban population. Everyone can get involved. After all, it is important to use the pumps regularly to keep them in working order.
Sharpening our focus on small-scale infrastructure
“Even today, we could fall back on the pumps in a supply emergency; we would then be given tablets to disinfect the water,” explains Moss. This is because many of the pumps bear the warning “Not drinking water”, suggesting bacterial and chemical contamination. But the situation here should be set to improve. In April 2025, Berliner Wasserbetriebe (BWB) took over the maintenance and repair of Berlin’s street fountains. There are even plans to install new pumps.
Previously, the division of responsibilities between city, federal and district authorities tended to lead to stagnation. Concerns about the vulnerability of the central water supply in times of widespread crises have sharpened the focus on these small-scale infrastructures, which manage without a water network or electricity supply. “What makes the street fountains special is that their use was hardly ever dictated by the state,” explains Moss. “Many of their functions arose from initiatives by citizens – and ultimately helped ensure that the water pumps have survived to this day.” For him, the water pumps are a prime example of how ‘outdated’ technologies are not necessarily obsolete. After all, who would have thought 200 years ago that Berlin’s street fountains would still be significant in the 21st century?
In a series of articles, we are introducing researchers whose projects are featured in the “On Water” exhibition at the Humboldt Labor. Anyone wishing to learn more about Berlin’s street fountains and water in general can find further information in the exhibition at the Humboldt Forum.
Author: Ljiljana Nikolic / HU Berlin
“On Water” at the Humboldt Labor
Contact:
Prof. Dr. Timothy Moss
Integrative Research Institute on Transformations of Human-Environment Systems – IRI THESys
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Rudower Chaussee 12B, 12489 Berlin
+49 30 2093-66436
timothy.moss(at)hu-berlin.de
www.iri-thesys.org
Credit: HU Berlin, 19.03.2026