Instead of a stage or podium, there will be a swimming pool and a French fry stand. The street in front of the entrance will become a 25-meter-long swimming lane.
Right in the heart of Mitte, in front of the building’s monumental, socialist-classical architecture—the Volksbad is open to anyone who wants to come: students, retirees, neighbors, water enthusiasts, and theater lovers. Free of charge and no ID required. With swimming lessons for children, specific swimming days for various communities, and a discourse program that conceives of the space as a gathering place.
In a city where public infrastructure has been systematically dismantled over the past decades, the Volksbad is the new artistic director’s first programmatic initiative and a warm “hello” to the neighborhood.
Florentina Holzinger and her team have announced their arrival at the end of the swimming season at Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz and the start of the first theater season. Their work *Ophelia’s Got Talent*, featuring performers swimming inside the Volksbühne, provided inspiration for the Volksbad. Now they are preparing for a fresh start in front of the theater.
(The exact opening hours of the Volksbad will be announced shortly.)