Water tower in Jičín, Renaissance water tower in Jičín, Czech Republic.

The Water Tower in Jičín, called simply "the Tower" in old records, is a square building of massive stone blocks on the dam of the Kníže pond. Its five floors end in a pyramidal roof, originally shingled and later covered with slate, and a sundial marks the east facade. A water wheel in the ground floor drove a pump that raised water to a copper tank at the top.

The tower was built in the mid-16th century and supplied water to the town through wooden pipelines. After 1907, a new water system was installed connecting Jičín to Studeňany, and the tower lost its original purpose.

Locals call it simply "Věž" (The Tower), as it appears in records since 1502. It now houses an exhibition of artworks and collectors' items tied to the tower's history and to Jičín's fairy-tale tradition. A legend tells of Anděla, the reeve's daughter, and Jan, a hangman's servant, caught in the cellar; his ghost is said to still haunt the well.

The tower stands on the dam of the Kníže pond, in the first protection zone of the town monument reserve, northwest of the historic centre. The interior is arranged over five floors, with the cellar tavern and well at the bottom and the tank floor at the top. An automatic pump and a drainage channel now keep the cellar dry.

After losing its original purpose, the tower served as a transformer station before being converted into an art gallery in the 1990s under artist Petr Heber's direction. This unusual transformation shows how historic structures get new lives in modern times.