Berlin's Volksbühne theatre to open free outdoor swimming pool

The Volksbühne theatre in Berlin has announced that it will open a temporary outdoor swimming pool on the square in front of the theatre. The pool will be free to use and open to all.

Volksbühne to open outdoor pool

Art may nourish the soul, but we have water to thank for basically everything which has ever existed on Earth. And where would we all be without it on a scorching Berlin summer day?

In a wacky turn of events, Volksbühne’s new artistic director Matthias Lilienthal has announced that theatre staff will briefly turn their attention from costumes and props to chlorine and pumps. From August 7 to October 1, a 25-meter-long outdoor swimming pool will be the theatre's main attraction.

“The Volksbühne considers even two people splashing water on each other to be a theatrical event,” Lilienthal told Tagesspiegel. A more earnest announcement on the Volksbühne website says the swimming pool installation is a response to systematic infrastructure cutbacks.

“[O]ver the past few decades [...] public spaces are more and more commercialised and monitored, the VOLKSBAD is [...] a summer invitation to the people in the capital,” the announcement explains.

How to visit the VOLKSBAD

The VOLKSBAD is open to "anyone who wants to cool off during Berlin’s increasingly hot summers, work on their crawl stroke, or just hang out with neighbours and enjoy some downtime,” Volksbühne says.

From August 7 to October 1, the pool will be open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 12pm until 8pm, and on Thursdays between 1pm and 9pm. Visitors do not need to bring an ID card, as is required at public outdoor swimming pools in Berlin.

While entry is free, visitors have to book a time slot, which can be done on the Volksbühne website. From the beginning of your time slot, you can spend two hours in the pool. There will also be changing rooms and lockers on the square.