Bernsdorf indoor swimming pool closes for good

As already announced, the Bernsdorf indoor swimming pool has to be closed after 48 years for structural and constructional reasons. The Bernsdorf indoor swimming pool will therefore be permanently closed from next Saturday, 29 July. A new 25-metre indoor swimming pool will be built on the site of the Bernsdorf outdoor pool.

Sports Mayor Philipp Rochold thanks the people of Chemnitz: "I would like to express my sincere thanks for their many years of loyalty as users of the indoor swimming pool as part of public swimming operations, official and club sports and student training at Chemnitz University of Technology."

The city council voted in favour of the new swimming complex back in 2016. The replacement building, which is estimated to cost 13.1 million euros, is planned to be twice as large as the old indoor swimming pool. The construction is to receive 75 per cent funding from the Saxony Investment Strengthening Act (Sächsisches Investitionskraftstärkungsgesetz Budget "Sachsen"). In addition to the municipal swimming pool built in 1935, Chemnitz also has the "Am Südring" indoor swimming pool, which opened in 1992, and the indoor pool in Gablenz, which has been in existence since 1984. It is currently undergoing an extensive overhaul.

History of the Bernsdorf indoor swimming pool:
In September 1968, work began on the construction of an indoor public swimming pool on Bernsdorfer Straße. After 13 months of construction, the building was opened in October 1969. The costs at the time totalled 400,000 marks. The indoor swimming pool was built as part of the GDR National Front's "Make our cities more beautiful - join in!" competition.

The building was a model offered by the former state-owned company Leipzig-Projekt with the type designation "Anklam". The low-rise building measured 30 x 37 metres with a swimming pool 25 metres long, 12.5 metres wide and with a water depth of 1.8 metres.

What is currently happening in indoor swimming pools?
The city always uses the outdoor pool season for repairs, maintenance work and renovations in its indoor pools. This summer is no exception.

City pool: 50-metre hall open again for the start of school
Maintenance work has already been completed in the 25-metre hall. And this time, the popular 50-metre indoor swimming pool in the Stadtbad will only be closed for a fortnight for regular maintenance, repairs and disinfection. This work has been underway since 22 July and is due to be completed on 6 August. The tightest technological time window has been planned for this workload so that the 50-metre hall can be reopened from 7 August - at the end of the school holidays.

Gablenz indoor swimming pool: refurbishment in full swing
The city is currently having the Gablenz indoor swimming pool refurbished. In July 2016, companies began clearing the site to create space for the extensive modernisation. The project, which costs around three million euros, is due to be completed by the end of 2017. The local authority is financing it with its own money as well as urban development and sports centre funding.

The complex modernisation is divided into the following measures: Ventilation, electrical engineering in the basement and the I&C technology will be overhauled at a cost of just under one million euros. Fire safety precautions are also being taken in the basement and changing rooms. Parts of the swimming pool and its surrounds have already been renewed, as have parts of the water technology systems. The trades are currently working on the hall roof and the building façade.

The Gablenz indoor pool, which was built in 1983 and opened the following year, had not yet undergone a thorough technical and structural overhaul. 30 years of continuous operation had worn out the water technology and ventilation systems, among other things. Its structural condition was also in need of modernisation. Only the pool head had been replaced in 1987/1988 and between 2011 and 2013, painting work was carried out and new changing room lockers installed at a cost of around 250,000 euros. The air compressor and the hot water and heating distribution systems were also overhauled at the time.

New cash register system for the "Am Südring" indoor swimming pool
The old cash register system is currently being replaced by a new one. An investment that will cost 50,000 euros. The summer closure period was also used for tile repairs in the changing areas, painting work and, as every year, maintenance work. This includes work on all the pool's technical systems, including the dosing technology for water disinfection, the ventilation systems, the circulation pumps and the shower fittings.

Outdoor pool visits in 2017: an interim assessment - as at 23 July 2017
The summer may not have been at its best so far, but that hasn't stopped swimmers from visiting the outdoor pool. So far, 20,756 swimmers have visited the outdoor pool in Gablenz. The one in Einsiedel was visited by 7,369 swimmers and sun-seekers, the outdoor pool in Bernsdorf by 13,657 and the one in Wittgensdorf by 16,116.

Efficient water treatment plants ensure that the water is also of good quality. During the season, employees from the Chemnitz health authority sample the outdoor pools every month to ensure high water quality. Among other things, they measure the pH value, temperature, free and combined chlorine as well as the contamination of the water with bacteria and chemical pollutants. The samples are analysed in a certified and approved laboratory. In addition to the random samples taken by the office, the staff at the outdoor pools monitor the chlorine, temperature and pH values several times a day. There are also 23 swimming instructors and pool attendants and a further 36 lifeguards, who are employed as seasonal staff, to ensure the safety and well-being of the pool guests. The opening times of the outdoor pools can be found athttp://www.chemnitz.de/chemnitz/de/kultur-freizeit/sport/freibaeder/index.htmlwww.chemnitz.de.