Växjö Echo Tower

Water tower in Växjö Lars Aronsson on Wiki (Creative Commons)

The Teleborg Water Tower, located in southern Teleborg in the city of Växjö, possesses an interesting acoustic property. If you position yourself under the center of the dome-shaped reservoir, all sound is reflected directly back at you. Even small noises are strangely magnified, as echos build upon themselves.

The reservoir, which can hold 45,000 cubic meters of water, was built in 1974. The acoustic effects were not a planned part of the design, but rather a lucky fluke discovered after the fact.

For a long time the Echo Tower was a bit of a secret attraction, known only to locals, but it has grown in notoriety through word of mouth. It is now visited by thousands of tourists every year.

Visitors are encouraged to bring a flute, a kazoo or any other instrument that makes an interesting noise.

Know Before You Go

Located south of Växjö, on the edge of the Teleborg suburbs, the water tower is most easily reached if you follow the Teleborgsvägen road heading south, until you have passed the Raskens väg intersection. The tower will be visable on the left side of the road.

The water tower can be reached by public bus no. 5, which runs at least twice per hour. The ride from the main square in Växjö takes 15 minutes.