Flussbad Berlin

The idea

The plan is for an 835-metre-long swimming pool in the Spree Canal between Schlossplatz and the Bode Museum, which is to be open to the public. A biotope landscape and a reed bed are incorporated into the design to ensure the natural purification of the river water. The project promotes inclusive urban development, whilst at the same time aiming to revitalise the historic function of this urban area through a new use.

As a new public space, the river bath invites people to meet, linger or swim in clean water – right in the heart of Berlin. This new venue in the city’s increasingly prestigious historic centre offers a fresh perspective on the historic city through the sensory and everyday experience of bathing and relaxation.

History and background

The initiative for the Berlin River Bath dates back to the 1990s. The project idea originated in 1997 with the artists and architects Jan and Tim Edler. However, there had previously been several river bathing establishments in Berlin, one of which was situated directly in front of Berlin Palace. It was closed in 1924 for hygienic reasons, as the River Spree had become too polluted. And in the garden of the former State Council building of the GDR – today home to the historic garden monument in the courtyard of the European School of Management and Technology (ESMT) – there was also a historic bathing facility from 1897 to 1925.