Pools in Kempten (Allgäu)

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The Kempten open-air swimming pool in 1932
The Cambomare indoor swimming pool (2012)

Baths have a social tradition and a long history in Kempten. The Romans already had thermal baths in the city area, while in the Middle Ages, for example, there were bathhouses for wealthy people near the town hall . Currently, there are in the Allgäu town of Kempten , a municipal swimming pool , consisting of the CamboMare , an adventure and indoor pool , which takes its name from the Roman city Cambodunum anknüpft, and an outdoor swimming pool is. The Stadtbad belongs to the Kempten municipal company , or KKU for short .

Roman thermal baths in Cambodunum

Small thermal baths in Cambodunum

Bathing facilities and thermal baths were built in Kempten as early as Roman times. The small thermal baths of the city of Cambodunum are among the earliest Roman bathing facilities north of the Alps and were built during the reign of Emperor Caligula . Towards the end of the 1st century, the construction of the Great Thermal Baths began , which, with an area of ​​4200 m², was one of the largest themed facilities north of the Alps. The thermal baths of Cambodunum were partially rebuilt and dismantled as early as late antiquity .

Baths at the beginning of the 20th century

The “Mineral-Sulfur Bath Rottach near Kempten i. Allgäu ” , Eugen Felle

In the 19th century there was a small mineral bath in the hamlet of Aich (or Eich) near Kempten , which briefly used a slightly mineralized healing spring for spa treatments.

At the beginning of the 20th century there were three baths in Kempten. The first was built next to the Rottach Bridge on Mariaberger Strasse. It was a mineral bath that was built in 1854 and existed until 1930. The associated restaurant Bad Rottach existed until the building was demolished in 1974. The water was said to have a healing effect: Allegedly, it was not only tested for dietary purposes, but also for chronic rheumatic , gouty , exanthematic ailments, bleaching and others Proven diseases. With allegedly consequent usage one could "apparently" recognize medicinal effects.

There was also the bath on Lenzfrieder Straße, which was built as a public bath in 1910 . However, it was relatively unpopular with the population. The reason for this was its shady location, which is why the water was uncomfortably cold. After the opening of the city bath in 1932, this bath was mainly used as a bathing establishment for the military. It was closed in 1944.

The third bath was the sunbath , it was at the foot of the Mariaberg . The sixty-meter-long sunbathing area on the Rottachschleife was created in 1927 by the Association for Health Care, which was founded in 1903 .

History of the swimming pool

Beginnings and opening

Opening speech with Otto Merkt as the speaker

The mayor of Kemptens, Otto Merkt , had been thinking about a bathroom for his city for a long time. It was realized with the help of Maximilian Vicari in 1932. In times of economic hardship with high unemployment, these construction measures created a job with wages for hundreds of construction workers for nine months. Nevertheless, thanks to Merkt's planning, Kempten had no debts and always had enough money available.

Outdoor pool - comparison
Stadtbad Kempten - construction and opening (41) .jpg
Opening in 1932
Cambomare 22June12 (21) .jpg
The outdoor pool 80 years later


The first summer of the outdoor pool was considered successful. Already on July 31, 1932 it was visited by about 2,500 citizens. As of October 3, 84,000 people came to bathe. Three days after it opened, an eight-year-old boy drowned in what was then the only large swimming pool . It was assumed that the cause was a heartbeat. Another misfortune brought three floods of the Stadtbach in July.

In the first two years, the bathroom was not yet equipped with a filter and chlorine system. As a result, the Schlangenbach, which supplied the swimming pool with water, brought a lot of mud into the pools. This led to rapid algae growth in the warm summer months . This changed in 1934 with the purchase of the filter and chlorine system. Where bathers swam in summer, fish from the Herrenwieser Weiher near Wiggensbach were brought into the pool to overwinter in winter. In 1937 the pool was equipped with a water slide.

In the first years of the bath, there were different rules. The first bathing regulations wrote u. a. the following:

“The spit holes in the swimming pool and the spittoon bowls are to be used for spitting. The stay in the city bath is only allowed for the purpose and duration of the bath. "

These two regulations lost their meaning when the lawns were opened in 1933.

post war period

Climbing ship in the swimming pool

After the Second World War, the US occupation forces took possession of the swimming pool. After it was returned to the city in 1952, the city renovated all of the pools. Between 1965 and 1977 these were replaced and from 1970 onwards some of them were made heatable.

Mayor August Fischer and his successor Josef Höß expanded the lawns steadily between 1962 and 1979 until it became the largest open-air swimming pool in Bavaria with a total area of ​​57,000 square meters and six pools with over 3,000 square meters of water.

Increasing visitor numbers

In 1981 a mother-and-child area was opened. A year later, a water slide was built and an annual city ​​bathing festival was held. Up to 12,000 visitors a day came to this festival over the next few years. In the following years the leisure behavior of the population changed and the number of visitors continued to rise. In 1984 the limit of 6,000 daily visitors was exceeded for the first time, in 1990 there were already over 7,000 daily visitors. On July 31, 1992, 8,028 citizens enjoyed themselves in the outdoor pool. In the record years 1991 to 1992, the pool management could count up to 220,000 guests annually.

From its opening in 1932 to 1998, the outdoor pool was visited by over seven million people.

description

Water mushroom with toadstool pattern

The outdoor pool contains a 50 meter long and 1.80 to 2.20 meter deep sports pool as well as two other parallel pools. One is the adventure pool with a wave pool and current pool , a wide slide and a large water mushroom with the pattern of a fly agaric . The pool contains loungers with air outlets as well as other water features with jets, water jets and neck showers. The neighboring non-swimmer pool is unheated and has only a narrow water slide.

For children there is an area with shallow water and various water features next to the kiosk. This is called the Bambini pool .

The senior relaxation zone with its own pool is sealed off from the entire pool with walls.

A separate beach volleyball and soccer field are available for sports activities without water. In addition to a large pirate ship for children, which is located on a sand court, there are table tennis tables and a giant chess board .

The play and sunbathing areas are 40,000 square meters in total. The water areas take up 3,000 square meters on the site.

History of the indoor swimming pool

Pre-war plans

Shortly after the opening of the public swimming pool, Mayor Merkt expressed the wish for an indoor swimming pool as a bathing opportunity also in winter. As a location for this, he offered an indoor swimming pool construction company a plot of land on Salzstrasse (now Hotel Peterhof), an area at the gasworks (below the Burghalde ) and one on Poststrasse (near the Thurn- und Taxis'sche post office ). However, his plans were not carried out because of the Second World War.

Realization in 1970

Thanks to a citizens' initiative launched in 1965, it was decided in 1968 to build an indoor pool north of the outdoor pool under the leadership of the then mayor August Fischer. A development association with 1,556 members supported the city with 340,000 marks from business and society. At the same time, he already realized Merkt's wish for a sauna bath.

Shortly after the inauguration of the cubic bath building in 1970, however, the indoor swimming pool became a problem area for administration. The bathroom was very vulnerable to repairs and therefore had high operating costs. The school baths of the Robert Schumann School and the Lindenberg School had the same problem. Most of the bathers stayed away from the indoor pool, except for a 24-hour swim with 1730 participants in 1985. Kempten earned second place in Germany with this 24-hour swim.

Longest water slide in Bavaria

Höss, who was the incumbent mayor until 1990, presented the city council with a plan for a multi-purpose pool with a diving platform and a water slide . Due to the lack of a majority in the city council, only the plan for a year-round water slide was implemented. At 102 meters, the slide opened in 1990 was the longest elevated and covered water slide in Bavaria. The slide could also be used from the municipal pool without entering the indoor pool.

Demolition and new construction

The Cambomare in Kempten

At the beginning of the 21st century, the condition of the indoor pool was no longer tenable. The high costs and the high need for repairs made it uneconomical. The chute leaked at the connection points and was therefore often out of order. For this reason, the new indoor adventure pool and a new sauna area, the Cambomare, were built . This word is composed of the first part of the word Cambo dunum , the former Roman city, and the Latin word for sea, mare . The Cambomare opened in 2003. The old indoor swimming pool was partially demolished, some parts are used for other purposes.

Cambomare indoor swimming pool

Cambomare inside
Cambomare 22June12 (52) .jpg
Looking north
Cambomare 22June12 (10) .jpg
Facing south


The Cambomare, built as a glass dome building, extends to the east of the city pool with a large-scale sauna area and a covered pool area. The two slides are the attractions of the pool: the 92-meter-long black hole tube slide and the 122-meter-long Crazy River tire slide , which are reminiscent of a wild river and should therefore only be used with special air-filled tires. In addition, a catering area was set up with a view of the inner pool area. The sports pool with six lanes is 25 meters long and has a diving tower with 1 and 3 meter boards.

For small children there is the so-called Kids Garden with 52 square meters. A flow channel with a 253 square meter swimming lagoon, from which air gushes out at regular intervals, is also located here. There is also a hidden bubble grotto with massage jets. The 176 square meter outdoor pool of the indoor pool contains bubble beds, massage jets, floor jets and neck showers. This outdoor pool is also operated in winter as it is heated to 32 ° C.

Trivia

  • In the summer of 1996 a young couple married in the Stadtbad. It attracted attention when it climbed into the lap pool with a lead belt and compressed air bottles and married there at the underwater wedding .
  • A fresco by Heinrich von Kempten can be seen at the town hall in Kempten , who is leaving a wooden bathing jug armed with a sword.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Gerhard Weber, in: Cambodunum-Kempten. 2000, p. 67.
  2. ↑ von Zedlitz-Neukirch, Leopold: Balneographic statistical-historical hand and dictionary or the healing springs and wells of Germany, Switzerland, Hungary, Croatia, Slavonia and Transylvania, France, the Netherlands and the seaside resorts on the coasts of the North and Baltic Seas; their location, owners, institutions, peculiarities, effects, way of life, places of amusement, theory or cheapness, their most recent literature and most recent analyzes. Leipzig 1834, p. 22.
  3. ^ Wolfgang Haberl: Kempten in old postcards . tape I. . Allgäuer Zeitungsverlag, Kempten 1979, ISBN 3-88006-050-9 , p. 80 .
  4. ↑ Julius Bernhard: Travel guide for the Kingdom of Bavaria and the neighboring states, especially Tyrol and Salzkammergut with special consideration for history, topography, trade and commerce. Hoffmann'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, Stuttgart 1868, p. 66 f .
  5. ^ A b Franz-Rasso Böck , Ralf Lienert, Joachim Weigel: JahrhundertBlicke auf Kempten 1900–2000 . Verlag Tobias Dannheimer - Allgäuer Zeitungsverlag, Kempten (Allgäu) 1999, ISBN 3-88881-035-3 , p. 187 .
  6. ↑ Anna Köhl, Ralf Lienert: Creative Minds. Streets and their namesake in Kempten . Tobias Dannheimer publishing house, Kempten (Allgäu) 2007, ISBN 978-3-88881-056-5 , p. 82 f .
  7. ^ Alfred Weitnauer : Mayor Merkt . Life and achievement. Publishing house for home care in the Heimatbund Allgäu, Kempten (Allgäu) 1967.
  8. ↑ a b c d e Franz Rasso Böck, Ralf Lienert, Joachim Weigel: JahrhundertBlicke auf Kempten 1900–2000 . Verlag Tobias - Allgäuer Zeitungsverlag, Kempten (Allgäu) 1999, ISBN 3-88881-035-3 , p. 188 .
  9. ^ A b c Franz-Rasso Böck , Ralf Lienert, Joachim Weigel: JahrhundertBlicke auf Kempten 1900–2000 . Verlag Tobias Dannheimer - Allgäuer Zeitungsverlag, Kempten (Allgäu) 1999, ISBN 3-88881-035-3 , p. 189 .
  10. ↑ baths. kku-kempten.de, archived from the original on November 4, 2009 ; Retrieved April 28, 2012 .
  11. ↑ a b c Sports, games and fun in summer. Our outdoor pool. Cambomare, accessed April 27, 2012 .
  12. ↑ CAMBOMARE outdoor pool in Kempten. ab-ins-schwimmbad.de, accessed on April 27, 2012 .
  13. ^ A b Franz-Rasso Böck , Ralf Lienert, Joachim Weigel: JahrhundertBlicke auf Kempten 1900–2000 . Verlag Tobias Dannheimer - Allgäuer Zeitungsverlag, Kempten (Allgäu) 1999, ISBN 3-88881-035-3 , p. 190 .
  14. ^ City of Kempten (ed.): Kempten im Allgäu. 1972, p. 90.
  15. ^ City of Kempten (Allgäu) (Hrsg.): Citizen information. 12th edition, Kempten, 2011, p. 10.
  16. ↑ CamboMare in Kempten. baden-und-schwimmen.de, accessed on April 27, 2012 .
  17. ↑ Bathing world. Cambomare, accessed April 27, 2012 .

literature

  • CamboMare (Ed.): Bathing, sweating, chatting. Kempten 2006, ISBN 978-3-00-020547-7 .
  • City of Kempten (ed.): Indoor swimming pool Kempten.
  • Franz Joseph Altenriedt: Description of the excellent Baad water for the oak, In the Hochfürstl. Kemptischen Land half an hour from the Hochfürstl. Stift and the imperial city. Kempten Abbey, 1764.

Web links

Commons : Swimming pools in Kempten  - Collection of images

Coordinates: 47 ° 43 ′ 13 "  N , 10 ° 17 ′ 33.3"  E