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One of the standout projects of the year that Timișoara held the European Capital of Culture title was the opening of the Museum of Water, on the site of the former Urseni water plant. In only six months since its official inauguration in June, it turned into a space where visitors can discover a piece of the city's history, attend numerous cultural events, and reflect on a variety of topics related to water and the natural heritage. 

The first stop for those visiting the museum is the recently-built entrance pavilion, which features several clues of the institution's diverse reach: shelves with environmentally-themed children's books and games, an area for exhibitions and other events, and an upright piano. The pavilion adds to the museum complex, which encompasses the three heritage buildings of the city's former drinking water plant, all set in a generous park, dotted with plane trees. The Urseni Plant was in use for nearly 80 years, starting in 1914 and until the 1990s, when a new water treatment station was built in the vicinity.

A spiral staircase takes visitors down to a group of pumps used to extract water from a depth of 67 meters. As the submersible pumps had not been invented when the Urseni Plant opened, those tasked with designing it constructed a type of shelter for the 12 pipes working to bring water to some 46,000 Timișoara residents. They named it the Group of Fountains but it is sometimes called the UFO, a nickname coined in 2010 by a group of enthusiasts interested in anomalous phenomena. They started referring to it like this after seeing its shape on Google Maps.

As the tour of the museum progresses through the Filtering Station, where a two-stage process took place, and ends at the Pumping Station, the water's last stop before leaving the plant, a wealth of details signals the architectural heritage of the site: from the tiling to lamps with floral ornaments and the elements of the decorative band framing the pump control panel. 

The three historical buildings that form part of the museum complex have been designed by László Székely, Timișoara's first chief architect, in the industrial Secession style. He worked with engineer Stan Vidrighin, later a mayor of Timișoara but at the time an employee of the City Hall, on developing the Urseni Water Plant and the Filtering Station, the first on Romania's territory at the time of their opening in the early 1910s.

An intense six months

The buildings of the plant were refurbished with backing by Aquatim, the city's water and sewage company and the administrator of the former plant. The project The Museum of Water – Connecting to Timișoara's Cultural Network was part of the city's European Capital of Culture program and saw the venue fill up with visitors attending the numerous events organized there. The museum opened officially on June 9th and the project included in the program aimed to turn it "from a refurbished heritage site into a lively place that tells its visitors the story of water and hosts numerous cultural and educational activities, from workshops to exhibitions, concerts and new media art performances."

The idea of the museum had been in the making for some time before the European Capital of Culture program. Aquatim fully funded the refurbishment project, which amounted to RON 7.83 million.

"They had been thinking for a long time about turning this plant into a museum precisely because it was preserved so well - an exceptional situation. The rehabilitation process started in 2020 and ended this year, mid-year, right before we started the activation project. So the idea to turn it into a museum had been there for a while, but, specifically, the plan didn't," Anabella Costache, the museum's coordinator, explains. "I wrote the activation project for the entire activity of the museum, from the schedule to the structure of the team, the needed competencies, the type of training needed, the everyday activities, exhibitions, the entire life in the museum." 

Several activation activities had happened before the project was included in the European Capital of Culture program, but when it came to the "daily running and creating an identity of the museum in the city, it was done in these six months."

She describes this period as a very intense one but says she expected things to work. "I'm an idealist, which is why I wanted to be part of something like this. I also knew it was a unique opportunity we probably would not have had in a different year. I thought it would be worth it and indeed it was."

There is no standard museum of water, Costache points out. In the international network of water museums under the patronage of UNESCO, of which the Timișoara institution is a part, each member entity imagines its role and vision in its own way. In the case of the Timișoara museum, the aim is to preserve the industrial and architectural heritage of the city's old water plant but also to be a "cultural center and an education and dialogue platform concerning sustainable water consumption and the way we relate to the natural heritage," she explains.

The programming of the museum was developed starting from a heritage interpretation plan drafted by the National Heritage Institute, where the main themes were outlined, in addition to development advice.

"Starting from these themes, we developed the museum experience - with an audio guide in several languages, the information presented in the venue, and the activities; we thought of what could help educate the public. We imaged activities for several types of publics, from school groups to families with children, seniors or vulnerable groups like children with disabilities so that those who visit us receive and give back as much as possible on the themes we approach: water, architectural heritage and industrial heritage."

Art on the agenda

Elements of technical, engineering, and architectural history related to the water plant are highlighted during a visit to the museum, but water also serves as a source of inspiration for various artistic and educational events and programs hosted here. Art has a dedicated place in the programming of the museum, which regularly hosts exhibitions inspired by the themes of water and the environment.

 "We worked with artists whom we let express everything this place inspired them; every time, the people who come to this venue are impressed; the artists, in particular, have so many ideas."

Source: https://www.romania-insider.com/timisoara-water-museum-dec-2023