A few examples from all over Germany: the volunteer fire brigade in Luckenwalde, Brandenburg, has a hose tower, as does the fire brigade in Gräfenberg, Bavaria. Just a few years ago, the modernised hose tower of the fire brigade in Apolda, Thuringia, was opened. An old tower in Dortmund-Berghofen is historic. Having long since become obsolete for the local fire brigade, the foundation stone for a meeting centre was only laid here in mid-2024.

But the German capital of Berlin also has its own hose towers, as does the ‘Interschutz capital’ of Hanover. One of them is located on the grounds of the listed Hanover-Linden volunteer fire station. The building complex is considered by many to be one of the most beautiful fire stations still in operation in Germany. The best way to find out whether this is true is to visit Hanover next time...

What is the future of hose towers in Germany?

The list of hose towers across Germany is long. Still. Many are only preserved because they are listed buildings or serve as good training facilities for climbing. Others are still standing because demolition would be too expensive. However, where a new fire station is being built, the tower is usually omitted from the outset - because the construction would be unnecessarily expensive and, above all, because the hose towers have long since lost their significance. This is because the cleaned hoses were hung up here to dry after operations and exercises. Although this is still the case in many places, it has long been history in others.

In Elmshorn in Schleswig-Holstein, for example, the hose tower has long since become obsolete. This is because the hoses are washed and dried centrally in the Pinneberg district's fire service technical centre (FTZ). Here too, in Elmshorn's neighbouring town of Tornesch-Ahrenlohe, the tower will soon be superfluous in its original function.

The situation is different in the neighbouring district of Steinburg. Here, in Breitenburg-Nordoe, the tower and washing plant are still in full operation. ‘Our system has just been brought up to the latest state of the art and we will be operating it in conjunction with the hose tower in future,’ says Steinburg's district fire chief Frank Lobitz.

In the Pinneberg district, however, the fire brigades from the region - more than 50 in total - regularly deliver their hoses to Ahrenlohe for cleaning and maintenance. Only the fire brigade on Germany's only offshore island, Helgoland, which is also politically part of the Pinneberg district, washes its own hoses. Transporting them ashore and back would be far too costly. The Helgolanders have a modern compact washing system and do not need a hose tower.

In Tornesch-Ahrenlohe, on the other hand, washing operations are still running traditionally for the time being. The hose workshop is housed in an older part of the fire service technical centre next to the tower, which is visible from afar, together with a high-performance washing system. After washing, the hoses, which are usually 15 or 20 metres long, are pulled up and hung to dry in the tower with the help of an electric winch, as is common practice elsewhere.

How many hoses are washed there each week depends on the number and size of the jobs. ‘It's often around 150 per week,’ says Sven Müller. He works full-time in the FTZ as a fire service technical assistant. ‘After larger operations, however, there are sometimes significantly more.’

When a new construction phase for the headquarters is completed next year, the hose workshop and laundry will also move. The new building will then house a compact facility in which the hoses are already dried and no longer need to be hung up. The 32 metre high tower, which was inaugurated in 1963, will then have done its duty. At least as a drying room.

In many places in Germany, disused hose towers are not only used for training purposes, where the positioning and climbing of ladders is practised. The towers are also often ideal locations for radio antennas. This also applies to the tower in Ahrenlohe, where an eight metre high mast and antenna were erected in 2011 in an elaborate operation with the help of the height rescue team from the technical relief organisation and a heavy-duty crane from Elmshorn.

It is still uncertain what will happen once the new construction phase in Tornesch is complete. Due to its proximity to the busy recycling centre access road, it is unlikely to be used as a training facility for ladder handling. And the high stairwell, which is suitable for fitness training, will probably no longer be needed. A new scaffolding is currently being built on the site as a climbing tower.

The classic hose tower is a thing of the past. But whether it's a hose tower, multi-purpose tower or training tower, there are of course official regulations. DIN 14092, for example, contains ‘Information on safety requirements for fire service towers that are used both for drying hoses and for exercises.’