Bathing like the Romans
Keywords
With its opening in 1914, the public pool was already considered to be among Europe’s most beautiful pools. Today, with up to 10,000 daily guests, it is one the largest facilities of its kind. Architect reinhold Kiehl designed the model after an ancient thermal bath, bringing about an ensemble of public bath and library. A dome construction with skylight and a round plunge pool belonged to the Russian/Roman bathing facility. After the reconstruction of 1984, the sauna area of the Heritage Protected building was in 1999 newly expanded. Nevertheless, in its form, the pool hardly differs from its 1914 appearance. Large and small indoor pools, originally one for men and women, are with their seven-metre high travertine pillars, corridors and mosaics an image of ancient models, and with their layout lean towards Greek temples and basilicas—an aesthetic bathing enjoyment in a marvellous swimming facility, with an herbal and coloured-light sauna.
