Thuringia: Outdoor pools have made up for the cool start to the season

Thuringia
Outdoor pools have made up for the cool start to the season

07.09.2024, 05:09

The hot summer has saved the season for many outdoor pools that are struggling with rising costs and staff shortages. Corona-related cancellations in swimming lessons are slowly being compensated for.

Erfurt (dpa/th) – The hot and beautiful days of the past few weeks have brought a lot of visitors to Thuringia’s outdoor pools and saved the season for many places. “The season is becoming more and more positive as it progresses,” said Patricia Botta from the Weimar municipal economy, which operates two pools in Weimar. After a slow start in May and June, the number of guests has recovered rapidly. If conditions remain the same, visitor numbers similar to those in 2023 could be achieved, said Botta.

Operators of other pools in the Free State expressed similar views. The sunny days have caused a rush of visitors to the three outdoor pools in Erfurt, explains Christine Karpe for the state capital’s municipal utilities. The planned visitor numbers have already been reached quickly and the outlook is positive. The assessments are similar for the forest pool in Ilfeld (Nordhausen district) and the mountain swimming pool Struth-Helmershof (Schmalkalden-Meiningen district).

Problems: construction sites and costs

Mixed results were usually due to external circumstances – for example, the expansion of fiber optics in the region meant that the Kleinschmalkalden forest swimming pool was barely accessible to guests due to road construction work, according to a spokesperson. However, everything is expected to be back to normal next year. The city of Jena did not want to provide any information yet.

According to spokespeople, the biggest challenges for the pools are the constantly rising costs for energy, chemicals and upcoming renovation work. The pool operators are trying to avoid price adjustments, but this is not always possible, they said.

Different developments in admission prices

While the prices in the Erfurt swimming pools had to be adjusted this year, the Waldbad Ilfeld is likely to increase next year after three years of stability. There were no price adjustments in the Weimar swimming pools this year, and children under four years of age have been able to get in for free since this season.

It is also reported from Erfurt that there are still problems with compliance with the pool’s house rules – for example with regard to photography and filming bans, excessively spread-out lounge areas or a lack of supervision of children. Guests who were asked about their misbehavior always showed no understanding. “Ultimately, however, it is just a matter of normal, minor incidents that can arise when people meet.” The problem affects all user groups.

Due to staff shortages, opening hours are reduced

One challenge is finding suitable staff, they all agreed. The lack of skilled staff is the main reason why smaller pools in particular can only open for a short period of time or have to close completely, explains Steffen Schulze, spokesman for the Thuringian regional association of the German Life Saving Association (DLRG). “Almost every pool operator is looking for lifeguards.” Usually, only seasonal staff are needed in outdoor pools, so vacancies are often taken up by students or adult pupils.

Larger cities with universities have an advantage, but the search is more difficult in rural areas. An assessment shared by lifeguard Tino Schneider from Waldbad Ilfeld: “This year we are well positioned, but that could change again next year.”

More swimming lessons again

There is good news regarding swimming lessons for children and young people, says Schulze: The losses caused by closures during the Corona pandemic are slowly being made up. The problems are sometimes low swimming pool capacities and the limited availability of volunteers. “In many parts of Thuringia there are waiting times of up to a year for swimming lessons.”

According to the DLRG, four people have been drunk in Thuringia so far this year, two fewer than last year. Fatal accidents in the water usually occur outside of supervised bathing areas, and the most common causes of accidents are carelessness and overestimating your own abilities, says Schulze. “We therefore strongly advise against swimming at unsupervised bathing areas.”