Engineer Inka Tower or Verevskaya Tower

The history of water supply in Tsarskoye Selo begins in the early 18th century, when, by the order of Empress Catherine I, the first ponds were arranged and canals were laid out in the summer residence of the emperors. The uniqueness of the hydraulic structures of the Tsarskoye Selo parks from the moment the first of them appeared was that they were immediately built as a unified water system. In 1887, a city water supply system began to be constructed in Tsarskoye Selo with two water towers – the Orlovskaya Tower near the Orlovskie Gates and the Pevcheskaya Tower in close proximity to the palaces. There arose a need to lay a closed water conduit in Tsarskoye Selo, the construction of which began in 1901 by the services of the Ministry of Railways, which at that time oversaw all the water supply systems of the Taitsy springs. After conducting surveys, it turned out that the best source was the Orlovskie springs, both in terms of location and the quantity and quality of the water they provided. The opening took place on October 5, 1904, and the water supply to Tsarskoye Selo was launched on May 1, 1905. Thus, in a relatively short time, a grand complex of works on the water supply of Tsarskoye Selo was carried out, some elements of which are still used today. In 1905, water from the Orlovskie springs flowed by gravity through two cast-iron water conduits with a diameter of 760 mm and a length of 840 meters into the pools of the pumping station and the reservoirs of the Orlovskaya and Pevcheskaya towers of Tsarskoye Selo. At the highest point along the water conduit line between the Orlovskie springs and Tsarskoye Selo, there was a backup regulating reservoir with a volume of 1,315 cubic meters. This reservoir was located in a large tower built according to the design of the German engineer Otto Inze between 1901 and 1904. The tower is called the "Inka Tower," apparently due to difficulties in translating the surname, which was distorted; its second name is the "Verevskaya Tower" (from the name of the village Verevo). This is a rather unusual landmark of Saint Petersburg. It is a ruined water tower from the early 20th century, but the atmosphere of desolation gives it a special charm.

The Inka Tower was severely damaged during the Great Patriotic War, but unlike other water conduit structures, it was never restored. It stands in the field and reminds one of former grandeur.

Little remains of the tower’s technological structures. However, the walls themselves have been excellently preserved and will stand for a long time. Only the guides of the roof remain, and some window frames are still intact, of course without glass. At the lower part of the tower, a cast-iron water conduit pipe passing under the reservoir support is visible. Until the spring of 2000, the tower still housed an internal reservoir, a giant metal tower – like a boiler placed in a rubble casing. Inside the tower, water conduit pipes still lie, the pool and part of the metal structures have been preserved, although most of them have already been cut and stolen. Nevertheless, a live branch of the Orlovsky water conduit runs nearby, and from holes in the pipes and special outlets, clean water still gushes, tasting like spring water.

In general, the Inka Tower needs serious reconstruction and preservation. Currently, it is more suitable for psychedelic photo shoots and fans of "abandoned places." Nearby there is a beautiful lake, and if you have the time and energy, you can quite easily reach the Gatchina geysers.

Sources:

https://wikimapia.org/5707136/ru/Башня-Инка-Веревская-башня