The municipal company Baederland has defended the increase in admission fees for the Hamburg swimming pools. Prices were raised by less than four percent at the beginning of the year. That is significantly less than the general inflation rate of ten percent, said company spokesman Michael Dietel on Wednesday.
In the coalition agreement, the SPD and the Greens agreed to link price developments to the general rate of inflation. The entrance fees should cover around 60 percent of the costs. Due to the difficult Corona years, cost coverage is well below this value.
After the long lockdown periods in 2020 and 2021, energy costs and the lack of staff are now affecting the pools. Since October, the water in all pools has been one degree colder. Almost all year-round outdoor pools are closed. With the exception of the Kaifu-Bad and the Bartholomäus-Terme, the facilities have each introduced two days off, on which only courses, school swimming and club sports are possible.
At the end of 2023, a particularly attractive pool should be available to visitors again: the Alsterschwimmhalle, one of the largest swimming pools in Germany, will be opened after extensive renovation, said Dietel. The water surface of this swimming pool is about four times larger than a normal pool.
Baederland GmbH claims to operate 21 outdoor pools, 13 indoor pools and 7 heated year-round outdoor pools. The water surface is around 45,000 square meters in total. Several media had previously reported on the increase in entrance fees.
