Pumping Stations at the Nymphenburg Palace

The pumping stations of Nymphenburg Palace in the west of Munich are operated solely by hydro power plants, which operate the fountains of the park of Nymphenburg Castle for more than 200 years and until 1963 also served parts of Nymphenburg Palace and the surrounding gardens with water. They were already considered at the time of their creation as masterpieces and are considered the oldest continuously since its construction machines operating in Europe and as a milestone of engineering.

Green Brunnhaus

The oldest pumping station Nymphenburg is the Green Brunnhaus in the so-called village of the castle park. It was built as a baroque pump house for the Baden castle and the fountain in their environment in 1720 under Elector Maximilian II Emanuel ( "Max Emanuel " ) by Joseph Effner. It lies on the southern channel in the castle park in a place where the terrain to the north drops significantly and therefore is suitable for the installation of water wheels. Maximilian III. Joseph was create in 1754 in the neighborhood of Brunn house two ponds for a beaver enclosure. In the course of the renovation, the house Brunn Brunn keeper's house were built with a forge, the beaver -keeper's house and later Hofgarten Brunnhaus as residences for court servants from 1762 onwards.

1767 Francois Poitevin installed in the open Brunnhaus a baroque pumping system. In the wooden construction of water of water wheels was pumped to two high water towers next to the fountain house. From there it was passed to the fountain in the parterre, the water jet was not quite as high as the water towers on the principle of communicating vessels.

In 1803 Joseph von Baader replaced this system by the two still operating pumping stations, the principle he had described in his 1797 published work full theory of suction and lift pump. This facility was not only powerful, but also quiet and no longer caused the perceived disruptive at court creaking noises. For the drive of the two pumping stations, water is transferred from the small branch duct before Brunnhaus to two undershot water wheels in the middle part of the house. These water wheels were originally made of wood; was not until 1900 they were renewed in metal.

Western pumping station being driven by the small wheel, which has a diameter of 4.70 m, 1.27 m wide and has 36 blades. The waterwheel moved over a space extending into the western eccentric and long rods three balance beam ( balanciers ) at the ends of the pump rods are attached to the pump pistons in the six upright, made ​​of brass cylinders move up and down. Baader's idea was it to add a surge tank between the pump and the cast-iron pressure pipe to the fountain, where at each pumping movement of air is compressed, which makes for a largely constant and increased pressure in the line.

The pump stand and the bar stock for the balance beam are made ​​of oak. The bearing blocks, Balancierstangen, balance beam, piston rods and air chamber are made ​​of cast iron, the eccentric shaft is forged. The pump cylinder and piston are made of brass. The pump pistons have a stroke of 65 cm. From a small water pipe some water flows into the pump cylinder to keep the leather piston seals supple.

The separately arranged air vessel bears the inscription:

" Maximiliani IOSEPHI IV ELECTORIS IUSSU & auspiciis construxit Josephus Baader Inventor MDCCCIII ( By order and in the reign of Elector Maximilian IV Joseph has ( this), the inventor Joseph Baader constructed in 1803 ) "

Downstream of the surge tank is a pressure relief valve which can be regulated by the hanging on a horizontal rack weight is hung by hand in a different notch.

This pumping station is still largely in its original state.

Eastern pumping station being driven by the large water wheel has a diameter of 5.30 m, 1.50 m wide and has 48 blades. His extending into the eastern room crankshaft moves two balance beam and thus 4 pump piston in cylinders with an internal diameter of 38 cm and a stroke of 68 cm. Again, some water flows for the leather seals in the pump cylinder. Two air chambers are centered under the beam and act as their carrier. The crankshaft and the balance- and piston rods are forged, the bearing blocks, the supporting frame, the air chambers are made ​​of cast iron, as originally made ​​of wood balance beam, which were replaced in 1850 with a revision of the pumping station. There is a by Franz Höss, courtyard fountain champion in Munich 1851 signed manometer, which is one of the world's oldest still commonly used fittings to the pump station. On the wall of the room, some tools are suspended from the period.

All pumps are slightly skewed to achieve a constant water pressure as possible and therefore a constant fountain height. The pressure lines of the two pumping stations to leave the building at the back through the drainage channels, where they are united after a few meters to a single line to the fountain in the parterre. Both pumping stations together have a capacity of a maximum of 55 liters per second.

Napoleon was so impressed with this fountain so that he appointed Joseph von Baader 1805 to Paris on the technical improvement of the machine of Marly, ie the water supply of the Palace of Versailles contribute.

Johannisbrunn House

In 1807 /08 Baader could create a pumping station for the large fountain in front of the castle in the tower of St. John in the north wing of the castle. It is driving a relatively powerful yet compact system of three one behind the other overshot water wheels, six arranged on their sides balance beam and these twelve pumps. The air chamber are here cylindrical boxes which are arranged on both sides of the system between each of the scale bars.

The supporting frame, the water wheels and the balance beam were originally made of wood, but were renewed in 1835 by the courtyard fountain - master Franz Höss in all metal. The system is now made ​​of cast iron, the piston rods are forged, the input boxes and the feed lines are made of copper and the pump cylinder made ​​of brass with an internal diameter of 29 cm and a stroke of 55 cm. Also in this pumping station some water flows for the leather seals in the pump cylinder. Clearly visible is the time-delayed work of the individual pumps to achieve the most uniform possible water pressure.

The water wheels have a diameter of 3.00 m, 2.70 m wide and each have 30 blades. They are fed by an underground channel from the northern arm of the center channel with water, the process is via the deep channel in the northern part of the round tower, which forms the beginning of the Nymphenburg- Biedersteiner channel. With an average of 10 revolutions per minute of water wheels, the pumping plant has an output of 60 liters per second.

Hirschengarten Brunnhaus

1817/18 taught Joseph von Baader a small pumping station in the east adjacent to the Green Brunnhaus Hirschengarten Brunnhaus one that supplied the Royal Economics Brunnhaus the royal kitchen, the Hofkonditorei, the menagerie and the Royal Deer Park with water. About an underground supply channel from the southern channel, the overshot water wheel with diameter of 2 m and 2 m wide was driven, in turn, a balance beam, and thus two pump piston in brass cylinders moving on an eccentric and a balancing pole that an internal diameter of 18 cm and a stroke have of 55 cm. The plant has a capacity of up to 4 liters per second.

In the 20th century provided the plant parts of Nymphenburg Palace and surrounding allotments. It was used from the beginning and to the end exclusively practical purposes. In 1963, the plant was shut down; the inflow from the southern channel was sealed with a metal plate.

Operation, management

The pump works, as well as the castle and the castle park, managed and operated by the Bavarian Administration of State-owned Palaces, Gardens and Lakes. You can be visited daily from 9-16 clock through the open doors and windows from Easter to early October. An access to the fountain houses itself is not possible.