The water pump used to be the most important place on which the entire city depended. Water was a source of life for people and animals. Everyone knew where the pump was. The water pump was the central point in the city. In the past, city facts and world news were shared here.
Now, over a pint or a cup of coffee or tea, gossip and worldly conspiracy theories are discussed on the nearby terraces.
Historical explanation of the Zevenbergen water pump:
In the 17th century, rainwater collection for drinking water became popular, also in cities and villages. The first water pumps also appeared at this time. Initially mainly as a communal pump on wells with relatively clean water in cities and villages, the so-called village pump. In the 18th century, pumps became really popular, also indoors. In the countryside, people often had a rainwater well for drinking water and a regular well for the other water. The original of the current Zevenbergen village pump on the Market Square, the most beautiful and largest of the six that stood in Zevenbergen at the beginning of the 19th century, was built by Adriaan van Hekelen (1785-1855) on a well that is said to date from the 16th century.