In Berlin-Hellersdorf, the long-awaited swimming pool with an outdoor pool is now set to be built at a cost of 35 million. (File photo)
© dpa
The long-planned new swimming pool in Hellersdorf is set to be built at a cost of about 35 million euros.
Current plans call for a multi-purpose pool costing 25 million euros and an outdoor pool costing around 10 million euros at Kienberg, according to the Senate Department of the Interior and the public swimming pool authority. The funding will come from the State of Berlin and from the federal government's so-called special fund (German: Sondervermögen).
Iris Spranger (SPD), Senator for Interior and Sports, stated: "In the House of Representatives' Main Committee, we were able to secure 35.4 million euros for this project. This will allow us to move forward with an indoor swimming facility featuring an outdoor pool and all the necessary amenities." The plan is to build an indoor swimming facility at Jelena Šantić Peace Park, featuring a sports pool, a teaching pool, and the outdoor pool "complete with a free-form pool landscape." The Senate Administration, the district office, and the Berlin Public Baths Authority are currently presenting an interim update on the plans at the district information center on Kienberg. "The results of a feasibility study commissioned by the Berlin Public Baths Authority are expected to be available by the end of August 2026."
According to earlier plans, construction was scheduled to begin in 2027, with the pool set to open in 2028. The pool authority now expects the call for bids for construction to be published in 2027. Construction would then begin in early 2028, with the opening scheduled for late 2029 or early 2030. There hasn't been an outdoor pool in the Marzahn-Hellersdorf district for decades. Initially, a combined indoor-outdoor pool was planned for the Kienberg site. Then the plans were scaled back to an indoor facility without an outdoor area, but were eventually expanded again to include both options.