Architecture: Cruquius Pump Station

The Cruquius is a water pump station that was build in 1849 to empty out the Haarlemer Lake in the Netherlands. Driven by steam it is a marvel of Engineering Architecture from the 19th century.

The arches at the bottom of the structure are the water intake. The 8 ‘spider’ like arms drive 8 pistons up and down to lift the water over 4 meters. The inner ring at the bottom of the tower channels the pumped water -via a conduit underneath the boiler building- towards a nearby canal thus emptying out the lake (now reclaimed land, or Polder). It took the Cruquius and 2 equivalent pump stations 3 years of continuous operation to empty out the lake. A world record at the time.

Has a ‘working’ inside steam engine that actually moves the arms. The round tower and 7-sided base structure were a pain to get right in lego bricks, but it turned out nice. The square building at the back is the boiler room to produce the needed steam.

I hope you enjoy and like the build!