On 15 September, the Ringallee outdoor pool closes its doors for 2019. The pool management team at Stadtwerke Gießen can look back on an above-average season.
Admittedly, this year's summer is not quite on a par with 2018. Nevertheless, fans of high temperatures and plenty of sunshine can't really complain this year either. The third-warmest summer since weather records began around 140 years ago naturally also made itself felt in Giessen's outdoor pools: Stadtwerke Giessen (SWG) welcomed around 147,000 bathers to its three outdoor pools. Around 113,600 visitors came to the Ringallee outdoor pool alone. "We are very satisfied with the season," explains Uwe Volbrecht, Head of Giessen's swimming pools. "Especially with the fact that our innovations were so well received."
In fact, SWG have further improved their offer at the Ringallee outdoor pool this season. For example, by bringing forward the opening date by three weeks, which many bathers were happy to take advantage of. "We have 141 opening days this year," says a delighted Uwe Volbrecht. These were often longer than usual: the Ringallee outdoor pool remained open until 9 p.m. throughout the summer holidays.
Not just swimming
Those responsible were also right in their decision to build a second beach volleyball court. "It's nice to see that many people come to us not only to sunbathe and swim, but also to do sports," says Uwe Volbrecht. The fact is: at busy times, balls were flying over the nets on both courts.
There were two particularly busy days at the Ringallee outdoor pool: on 16 June, SWG hosted the "Spiel' Dein Spiel" City Day and on 31 August, the Schwimmjugend Hessen organised SWIM-IN - an event at which the young water sports enthusiasts presented their varied and wide-ranging hobby to a broad public. "Both events met with great interest. We are pleased and also a little proud that we were able to play our part in their success and provide a framework for them," summarises Uwe Volbrecht.
In the coming weeks, Uwe Volbrecht and his team will be preparing the outdoor pools for their winter rest. Thanks to the positive experience this season, SWG is planning to reopen the Ringallee outdoor pool at the end of April in 2020. The only prerequisite for this is reasonable outdoor temperatures. Uwe Volbrecht puts it this way: "If the weather forecasts are favourable, I assume that we will start the outdoor pool season earlier again."
Information on opening times and prices at the Ringallee bathing centre is available from the service telephone on 0641 708-1411 and at www.giessener-baeder.de.