Despite the weather, Berlin is ready to open up summer pools

Last month, the city allowed people, regardless of gender, to go topless at public pools

Berlin is set to launch the bathing season next weekend (29-30 April) with many public and outdoor swimming areas to open to the public. Impatient swimmers will, however, have to brave the cold for at least the next couple of weeks as temperatures in the German capital will remain below 20 degrees Celsius, with a splash of rain at least until 6 May, according to AccuWeather.

Additionally, this bathing season promises to have quite a bit of spice for bathers. Last month, the Ombudsman in the State Office for Equal Treatment allowed all swimmers to go topless (regardless of gender), a move aimed at facilitating more equal access to the pools.

Staggered opening

According to a statement by Berlin Baden (Berlin Baths), despite the weather outside, outdoor pools will be heated to a comfortable 22°C. The temperature will be created by a mix of direct sunlight and heating, installed in some summer pools.

Additionally, this year access to the pools will be streamlined, with bathers with monthly and seasonal passes or online tickets should be able to get to the pools through an express entrance.

The first pools to open will be the Olympiastadion summer pool on Saturday and the Kreuzberg summer pool on Sunday. The Am Insulaner and Neukölln baths as well as others will open on May 1st. There will be more pools opening throughout the month of May and the start of June.  

The ones that are set to open last are the baths in Wilmersdorf and Mariendorf, where bathers will wait until 17 and 18 June.

At the same time, the sauna area and summer pool in Lichterfelde will remain closed for the time being. According to Berlin Baden, the facility was leased and the lease recently expired. However, the facility is in a disparate state and cannot be operated safely. Authorities say that repairing the summer pool would take a long time and there is no funding for the reconstruction. This means: The summer pool and the sauna can no longer be put into operation until further notice.