Public swimming pools now open

The municipal open-air swimming pools in Vienna are now open after the long winter break.

The price for a day of swimming has been raised from 4,70 to five Euro, but the city’s councils MA44 that runs the pools says it has invested in extra entertainment and sports possibilities for visitors.

To encourage city inhabitants to visit the pools, a direct, free bus line will take people from the U-1 station Kaisermühlen to the largest beach in Vienna – the Gänsehäufel. The bus line will run from the 2 May until 2 September.

The MA44 faced criticism for failing to open sooner as the hot weather had arrived weeks ago, but bath manager Hubert Teubenbacher rejected any change to the traditional times.

He said: “The traditional opening date will always be the 2nd of May.  On the other hand, we have 60 swimming pools to fill with 30 million litres of water, and that requires preparations. We start in the beginning of April, and I do not think that we will ever be ready earlier.”

According to Teubenbacher, the preparations were a challenge this year, considering the frost damages caused by the winter cold. The bad April weather did not help, either, he