Violent clashes in Berlin pools also depress the head of the outdoor pool in Kleinmachnow, not far away southwest of the capital.
“We’re worried too. It’s just a stone’s throw away from our pools,” said Markus Schmidt, the managing director of the municipal outdoor pool Kiebitzberge in Kleinmachnow, the German Press Agency on Saturday. This year he also used a civil security guard – but only on the very hot days.
He did not report on the riots and violent incidents that were known from Berlin’s open-air pools. In the capital, after violent conflicts, the police showed up with a mobile guard in front of the Neukölln Columbiabad.
There are long queues at the checkout on hot days, but there are also long queues in Kleinmachnow, Schmidt said. Berlin bathers have always come to the outdoor pool, which has space for 3,000 to 5,000 visitors. So far, he has not noticed in his outdoor pool that more people from the capital want to go swimming in the surrounding area due to the incidents in Berlin.
Managing Director Schmidt is currently examining other options for saving energy. The running time of the outdoor showers has already been shortened somewhat. In addition, care is taken there that bathers do not wear long boxer shorts that reach down to the knees when swimming.
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Schmidt explained the ban on boxer shorts, which has been in force for a long time, because this swimwear carries too much water out when leaving the pool. The “Märkische Allgemeine Zeitung” also reported on this.
Schmidt is now also checking whether photovoltaics can be used to generate electricity for the outdoor pool. With a view to rising energy costs, he said: “At some point the question of price increases will arise.” (dpa)
