Next Sunday, 25 September, marks the end of the 2022 season at the Ringallee outdoor pool, and the results are positive.
154 opening days, 21 of them with maximum temperatures of 30 degrees or more - 2022 was an exceptional outdoor pool summer. This is also reflected in the visitor numbers recorded by Giessen's pools. Around 161,000 people took advantage of the opportunity to cool off and spend pleasant hours in one of the three outdoor pools. The Ringallee outdoor pool alone, which closes its doors for 2022 on 25 September, was visited by 123,000 people. This season thus topped the record year of 2019.
"After two years of the coronavirus slump, we can once again draw a really positive balance," explains Uwe Volbrecht, Head of Giessen's pools, as the end of the season approaches. Of course, the good weather played a decisive role. But this only materialised comparatively late. Particularly at the start of the outdoor pool season, it was rather cool - especially at night. This led to a very slow start to the season. Because even then it was important to save energy and, above all, natural gas, those responsible for the Giessen pools decided to stop heating the water in the Ringallee outdoor pool from 2 July. "When it got really warm, that was no longer a problem. But initially, we were only able to attract real outdoor pool fans due to the not exactly midsummer conditions," remembers Uwe Volbrecht.
Great location for a popular event
On 17 July, SWG invited people to "Spiel' Dein Spiel - City Day" at the Ringallee outdoor pool. Many clubs from Giessen and the region, Ichmael's circus barn and professionals from Giessen's swimming pools presented 13 sometimes exotic sports - such as pole dancing, floorball and aqua Zumba. As in previous years, numerous visitors of all ages took advantage of this opportunity to try out a sport that is less well known - or at least to find out more about it.
This is how it continues
From Monday, 26 September 2022, the Ringallee indoor pool will reopen at the usual times for public swimming. However, the Giessen pools are also doing their bit here and continuing to save energy. This means that the water in the pools will have a temperature of 25 degrees. "This is in line with the recommendations of the Hessian Association of Cities and Towns," says Uwe Volbrecht, categorising the decision. The particularly energy-intensive wellness area, on the other hand, will remain permanently closed.
Up-to-date information on opening times, possible renewed restrictions on visitor numbers, courses and more can be found at www.giessener-baeder.de or at www.facebook.com/giessenerbaeder