Berlin Cancels Planned Functional Swimming Pool After 10 Years

Berlin’s planned “simple functional swimming pool” has been cancelled by the state government after more than a decade of planning, according to a report finalized in April 2025.

The project, intended to address capacity issues at Berlin’s public swimming facilities, was the subject of a report to the Senate, presented by Senator for Interior and Sport, Iris Spranger, and subsequently forwarded to the Berlin House of Representatives for review. The report details the “status of implementation of the pool agreement between the State of Berlin and the Berliner Bäder-Betriebe (BBB).”

The BBB, established in 1996 as a public law institution, is Europe’s largest municipal swimming pool operator, managing 67 facilities across 62 locations. These include 38 indoor swimming pools, five combination pools (indoor and outdoor), seven non-public swimming facilities for school and club utilize, and 29 outdoor pools, nine of which are leased to private operators. The BBB also operates 22 saunas, three of which are leased.

In 2023, the BBB facilities recorded a total of 5.7 million visitors, with 3.6 million using public facilities and 2.1 million using non-public facilities. The company reported a turnover of €129.8 million in 2023, with a state subsidy of €110.9 million.

The cancellation of the new pool project follows a history of financial constraints impacting the BBB. Since the transfer of responsibility for Berlin’s pools from the districts to the BBB in 1996, state funding has steadily decreased. Funding was reduced from approximately €79 million in 1995 to €55.8 million in 2000, and further to €37.3 million in 2006. This led to the closure of eleven pools in 2001 and 2002, and subsequent increases in entry prices and reductions in concessions. Sauna and course prices were increased again in 2024.

The finalized report on the pool agreement establishes a standardized and regular reporting system, consolidating and expanding upon previous reports from the BBB. The Senatsverwaltung für Inneres und Sport (Senate Department for Interior and Sport) and the Senatsverwaltung für Finanzen (Senate Department for Finance) collaborated on the development of this new reporting framework.

As of February 17, 2026, the BBB offers a monthly ticket for €38 (or €30 reduced) providing unlimited access to all of its indoor swimming pools.