Tirtanadi Water Tower, Water tower in Medan, Indonesia

Tirtanadi Water Tower is a red brick structure in central Medan that rises 42 meters high with iron pillars supporting a red and white water tank. It sits at the intersection of Sisingamangaraja street, making it easy to spot in the cityscape.

The tower was completed in 1908, built by NV. Water Leiding Maatschappij Ajer Bersih, a company founded in 1905 and owned by the Dutch East Indies government. It stored water for Medan's residents, though only the middle and upper classes could draw from it; poorer households kept using wells. It also served as a landmark of the colonial city.

The tower is a landmark of Medan from the Dutch colonial period. It was built for NV. Water Leiding Maatschappij Ajer Beresih, a water company founded in 1905 and based in Amsterdam. In its early years only middle- and upper-class residents could draw its water; others relied on wells. PDAM Tirtanadi now owns the tower and offers drinking water to passers-by near the site.

The tower is open to visitors during daytime hours, but you need permission from security staff to enter. There is no entrance fee, though visiting in the morning or early afternoon is usually easiest.

The tower continues to function as part of Medan's active water supply system rather than being merely a historical monument. Despite its age, this 1900s structure still provides water to the city.