Under the banks’ towers, Frankfurt’s humble water houses bring the city together

CONVERGENCE People gather at a former water house, a small shop that sprung up in the 19th century to encourage workers to drink affordable water rather than beer or schnapps, that is now a kiosk in Frankfurt, Germany, on Feb. 16, 2025. —PHOTOS BY AP

FRANKFURT, GERMANY—Frankfurt has become Germany’s financial capital, known for the country’s only high-rise skyline. But look closer to the ground and you’ll find a tradition that brings rich and poor, bankers and punks, together.

The humble “Wasserhäuschen,” or little water houses, have been a distinctive feature of the city since they started springing up in the second half of the 19th century.

Back when drinking unboiled tap water wasn’t advisable, the little kiosks offered bottles of mineral water. They encouraged workers, with the city’s approval, to drink affordable water rather than beer and schnapps.

WELCOME SIGHT A woman walks past a former water house, a small shop that sprung up in the 19th century to encourage workers to drink affordable water rather than beer or schnapps, that is now a kiosk in Frankfurt, Germany, on March 31, 2025.

They thrived as they weren’t subject to the official closing hours imposed on shops. And they were useful supply stations again in the immediate aftermath of the destruction of World War II.

These days, there’s more on offer at the water houses: a quick beer, candy, the newspaper, cigarettes, sometimes café service, with tables and the odd sofa on the sidewalk.

People gather at a former water house, a small shop that sprung up in the 19th century to encourage workers to drink affordable water rather than beer or schnapps, that is now a kiosk in Frankfurt, Germany, on March 31, 2025.

‘Lving room’

Laura Poellath, a 27-year-old student who works at the “Fein” water house, says the little kiosks are “like a living room in the city.”

“The people are very varied, from young to old, all the different groups are here,” she says.

“Water houses are social meeting points,” says Hubert Gloss, who offers tours of the houses that are spread around the city. “They are accessible; everyone is welcome here, it’s a democratic place … without these meeting points, the city would lose something in human terms.”

A man waits at a former water house, a small shop that sprung up in the 19th century to encourage workers to drink affordable water rather than beer or schnapps, that is now a kiosk in Frankfurt, Germany, on Feb. 15, 2025.

There were once 800 of the freestanding kiosks, but their numbers have diminished as a result of new building and other factors, Gloss says.

City authorities say there are now about 300, most of them leased by breweries or distributors of drinks to their operators.

A former water house, a small shop that sprung up in the 19th century to encourage workers to drink affordable water rather than beer or schnapps, that is now a kiosk photographed in Frankfurt, Germany, on Feb. 15, 2025.

Photographer Stefan Hoening says today’s water houses are a place where “everyone, no matter where they come from and no matter what their pay grade, can come together and feel at ease without being judged.”

“That’s the good thing about water houses,” the 42-year-old says. “With kiosks, you usually go there, buy something and go back home. Here, people from all the different classes meet.”