Šítkov water tower, Renaissance water tower in New Town, Czech Republic

The Šítkov Water Tower rises approximately 47 meters above the Vltava River, displaying arched windows and a conical roof typical of Renaissance design. The structure combines practical function with architectural style from that era.

A wooden tower was built in 1495 at the southern end of Slovanský ostrov, burned in 1501 and again in 1588; the stone tower replaced it between 1588 and 1591 under the New Town councillor Karel Mělnický. Damaged by Swedish artillery in 1648, it was repaired in 1651 and received its Baroque dome, copper-clad at the end of the 18th century. Water ran by gravity to fountains and houses of the New and Old Towns until 1847; the machinery was removed in 1882 and demolition was stopped by Umělecká beseda.

The tower carries the name Šítkovská, linking it to the Šítkov mills whose site it adjoined on the Vltava bank. It is also called Hořejší novoměstská, the "upper New Town" tower, distinguishing it from the lower water tower of the Old Town. The nearby Mánes building of the Society of Fine Artists stands beside it.

The tower sits within walking distance of Karlovo náměstí and Národní třída Metro stations, making it easy to reach. The area around the Vltava River offers plenty of space for walking and exploring nearby structures.

Between 1977 and 1989 the tower's top floor held a State Security observation post, set up to watch the entrance of the building on Rašínovo nábřeží where Václav Havel had his flat. The tower leans about 115 cm to the southeast, the most tilted in Prague, because it was built on the sandy bed of the Vltava without proper foundations.