DON’T MISS
IamExpat FairIamExpat Job BoardIamExpat Webinars
Newsletters
EXPAT INFO
CAREER
HOUSING
EDUCATION
LIFESTYLE
EXPAT SERVICES
NEWS & ARTICLES
Home
Lifestyle
German news & articles
Berlin announces plan to open Spree River swimming spot in 2026
Never miss a thing!Sign up for our weekly newsletters with important news stories, expat events and special offers.
Keep me updated with exclusive offers from partner companies
By signing up, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with our privacy policy

Berlin announces plan to open Spree River swimming spot in 2026

Never miss a thing!Sign up for our weekly newsletters with important news stories, expat events and special offers.
Keep me updated with exclusive offers from partner companies
By signing up, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with our privacy policy
or
follow us for regular updates:



Related Stories

Berliner Stadtmuseum calls on locals to submit their pictures for exhibitionBerliner Stadtmuseum calls on locals to submit their pictures for exhibition
Facing the fax: German bureaucracy museum opens in BerlinFacing the fax: German bureaucracy museum opens in Berlin
Where to find tulip fields in Germany this springWhere to find tulip fields in Germany this spring
Berlin newbies: 7 free and cheap things to do on every day of the weekBerlin newbies: 7 free and cheap things to do on every day of the week
How you can watch Germany at the Women's EurosHow you can watch Germany at the Women's Euros
Reichstag building “re-wrapped” in homage to iconic 1995 art installationReichstag building “re-wrapped” in homage to iconic 1995 art installation
Berlin mulls free rental bikes to tourists who arrive by trainBerlin mulls free rental bikes to tourists who arrive by train
Berlin outdoor swimming pools to introduce new security measuresBerlin outdoor swimming pools to introduce new security measures
For expats of all colours, shapes and sizes

Explore
Expat infoCareerHousingEducationLifestyleExpat servicesNews & articles
About us
IamExpat MediaAdvertisePost a jobContact usImpressumSitemapRSS feeds
More IamExpat
IamExpat Job BoardIamExpat HousingIamExpat FairWebinarsNewsletters
Privacy
Terms of usePrivacy policyCookiesAvoiding scams

Never miss a thing!Sign up for expat events, news & offers, delivered once a week.
Keep me updated with exclusive offers from partner companies
By signing up, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with our privacy policy


© 2025 IamExpat Media B.V.
© 2025 IamExpat Media B.V.
May 18, 2025
Olivia Logan

Editor at IamExpat Media

Editor for Germany at IamExpat Media. Olivia first came to Germany in 2013 to work as an Au Pair. Since studying English Literature and German in Scotland, Freiburg and Berlin she has worked as a features journalist and news editor.Read more

Berlin-Mitte’s district councillor has announced that a river swimming spot will open in the city centre by 2026. However, existing details only provide a rough outline of the plan.

Berlin will open up river to bathers in city centre

The district councillor for urban development in Berlin-Mitte, Ephraim Gothe (SPD), has announced that the authorities will open a swimming area in the River Spree by next year.

“There are still lots of things which need to be clarified, but I am optimistic that it can work,” Gothe told Tagesspiegel. The location, however, has already been clarified, a stretch starting shortly before the Schleusenbrücke and finishing at Monbijoubrücke.

The Spree was closed off to swimmers in 1925, and it is currently forbidden to swim in the river.

Is it safe to swim in the Spree?

When heavy rain causes Berlin’s sewage system to overflow, wastewater overflows into the Spree. Alongside this, boats passing and rubbish thrown into the river mean it is unsafe for swimming.

So what would change in the next year to make the river fit for a dip? The stretch earmarked to host the swimming spot is separated from the rest of the river by a lock, meaning no boats pass through, so it is already safe for bathers in that regard.

When it comes to water quality, Berlin is looking at the example set by Paris, where local authorities improved water quality in the Seine and will reopen it to swimmers this summer. 

Scientists have regularly tested the water in the Spree for several years, and according to Gothe, it has considerably improved. An official report due to be published by the city’s senate this year will offer more concrete information.

In the meantime, the River Bathing Association Berlin (Flussbad Berlin Verein) is set to hold a demonstration and swimming demonstration through the Spree on May 20, demonstrating for water quality to be improved. The demo will go ahead as long as the water quality, which you can check here, is good enough.

By Olivia Logan

elxeneise / Shutterstock.com