Montmartre Water Tower

The Montmartre Water Tower stands as a functional monument in the city, rising forty-three meters above the hilltop to maintain the water pressure for the surrounding neighborhood. It was built in 1927 in a striking Byzantine Revival style to ensure its appearance complemented the architecture of the nearby Sacré-Cœur Basilica. The tower holds nearly nine hundred cubic meters of water, split between tanks for both potable and non-potable use. While its primary purpose remains the distribution of water to the homes perched atop the hill, it serves a hidden secondary role as a vital broadcasting hub. Its upper sections host antennas for several Parisian community radio stations, turning a nineteenth-century engineering problem into a modern broadcast facility.