With countless lakes, public pools and even a floating swimming pool in the Spree, Berlin is not limited on swimming options. That said, an ongoing labour of love that’s recently been green-lighted for feasibility really seems too good to miss out on. Enter the Flussbad project, conceived by Tim Edler and Jan Edler way back in 1997.
The idea is simple – to transform one of the central sections of the Spree Canal, that runs by Museum Island, into an area for public use. Which means not only a 750m pool running by the Lustgarten (UNESCO swimming anyone?!), but a reed bed upstream to clean the water by natural means, and a river-bed habitat further along to ensure Berlin’s non-human residents can also take advantage of this repurposing of a currently dormant stretch of water.
With 110,000€ earmarked for the feasibility study from Berlin-Lotto Fund, we hope that Flussbad Berlin is one step closer to realising a remarkable reality and continuation of Berlin’s love affair with water. As Flussbad Berlin say on their website – “The project stands for a sustainable, integrative, and considerate urban development, for an observant and intelligent approach to natural resources, and for a link between the historic city and the living present.” We couldn’t put it better ourselves.
To find out more and to donate or contribute to the project, please visit the Flussbad Berlin website
