The Risti water tower is one of those meant to serve the railroad, and was erected at Risti station on the Haapsalu-Keila line in the early years of the 20th century. A sign off the Haapsalu highway, Küüditatute mälestusmärk („Deportees Memorial"), leads here – it points not only to the old station compound, but also to a memorial to the deported people of Western Estonia. Today, the railroad to Haapsalu has been replaced by a bike path that follows the old right of way.
The exhibition set up in the water tower introduces the railroad compound and the tower's workings. Visitors can enjoy the water tower's interior with its preserved tank and meter. From the top of the tower, you get a view of Risti village. The model water tower helps figure out how the water was pumped to the steam locomotives and how the tower and the system as a whole were meant to work.
The tower supplied steam locomotives with water via a 60 m3 tank at its top end, supported by a flared stone wall. The water was raised to a height of some 15 meters via a steam-powered pumping station. The tower is thought to have fulfilled its main function – providing water for steam locomotives – up until the 1970s.