Grugabad

1964. A splash. Laughter echoed across the vast expanse of the Grugabad. This wasn’t just any swimming pool. This was Essen’s pride, the largest open-air swimming pool in the city. Grugabad offered an escape, a shimmering oasis amidst the Ruhr’s industrial heart. It was designed by architect Gerd Lichtenhahn, also known for the Grugahalle. He envisioned a sprawling complex, a testament to modern design within the historic grounds of the 1929 Großer Ruhrländische Gartenschau, further developed for the 1965 Federal Garden Show. Grugabad, with its 58,000 square meters, boasted not one, but four swimming pools, ingeniously arranged on two levels. A spiral staircase wound around a striking chimney, a relic of the original heating system. This chimney, a silent sentinel, watched over the bathers until 2012 when the Grugabad switched to the Grugapark’s biomass heating plant. Up above, on the upper level, serious swimmers glided through the heated 50-meter pool. Nearby, divers plunged from the 10-meter platform into the 4.5-meter deep jumping pool. Below, in the kiosk, onlookers marveled at the divers through nine underwater windows. A grandstand to the west provided seating for 700 spectators, eager to witness aquatic competitions. Down below, on the lower level, a different kind of fun unfolded. The heated wave pool, one of the first of its kind in Germany, churned and frothed, delighting bathers with its rhythmic surges. The non-swimmer’s pool offered a gentler experience. Children squealed with delight as they zoomed down the elephant slide, its sculptural form resembling two intertwined elephant trunks. Beyond the pools, a vast 25,000 square meter area beckoned with children’s playgrounds and a paddling pool. Remnants of the original plant beds, framed in concrete, dotted the landscape. Three cube-like buildings housed changing rooms and sanitary facilities, their steel skeletons and brick facades hinting at the architectural trends of the 1960s. Nearby, the caretaker’s apartment offered a quiet retreat. Grugabad’s main entrance, once located in the southwest, vanished around 1990, a subtle shift in the landscape. The old restaurant, once a hub of activity, found new life as a daycare center in 2009. Despite modernization efforts in 2012, the Grugabad carries the weight of needed renovations. Its future hangs in the balance, its fate intertwined with feasibility studies and marketing strategies. Yet, even with the passage of time, the Grugabad remains a beloved destination. It’s more than just a swimming pool. It’s a place of memory, a symbol of Essen’s enduring spirit.