Drinking water is the most important foodstuff. To honour this precious commodity, the United Nations declared 22 March as World Water Day back in 1993. Stadtwerke Gießen is taking the 27th edition as an opportunity to once again offer a special guided tour of the Queckborn waterworks.
In a global comparison, German drinking water occupies a top position. Thanks to its high standards, it even surpasses most bottled mineral waters in terms of quality. It is true that many people have an idea of how this extremely strictly controlled foodstuff reaches the tap at home. However, only very few people have ever realised how the water travels from the source to the household.
For Giessen's drinking water, probably the most important stopover on this journey is the waterworks in Queckborn, which has been operated by Stadtwerke Giessen (SWG) for almost 125 years. The historic clinker brick building is therefore the ideal place to find out more about drinking water, pumping and transport technology and the history of water supply on World Water Day. The programme includes a guided tour of the pump house and the spring garden in Queckborn as well as a visit to the central zone tank in Annerod.
Free bus transport from Giessen
SWG has set up a free special bus service for the excursion to Queckborn on 22 March. The bus leaves Giessen at 14:00 from the bus stop Behördenzentrum in the Ostanlage opposite the cinema centre. At the end of the tour, the special bus will take participants back there. Arrival is planned for around 5.30 pm.
Anyone interested can register with SWG by 15 March on the service number 0800 2302100. A total of 40 people can join the trip. It is therefore important to decide quickly.
Group tours of the waterworks
Stadtwerke Gießen also offers guided tours of the Queckborn waterworks for school classes, clubs or other larger groups independently of World Water Day. At least 20, but no more than 35 people should take part. To arrange these individual tours, a corresponding form is available at www.swg-wasser.de