If you compare the leisure and amusement parks of the GDR with those of today, you are amazed at how small the selection was back then. Today, the range of water parks for a refreshing summer dip stretches from Germany to Spain and Portugal – you’re guaranteed to be spoiled for choice. And yet there were a few parks in Berlin that were extremely popular and attracted a large audience – including the Spreepark, which impressed with its 45-metre-high Ferris wheel and recorded around 1.7 million visitors per year. There was also a highlight for those who wanted to swim and splash around in summer: the Pankow indoor swimming pool.
It would be a shame if such places were to remain lost. That’s why the city has decided to restore and reopen them. While the Spreepark is scheduled to reopen between 2026 and 2027, we will have to wait a little longer for the Pankow swimming pool. However, the concept is in place and we reveal how the once largest and most modern swimming pool in East Berlin will soon be brought back to life.
The history of the Pankow indoor swimming pool
The indoor swimming pool was opened in 1975 after a construction period of just twelve months. With a 25-metre sports pool consisting of five lanes, a 100 m² non-swimmers’ pool, a teaching pool (depth: 0.80-1.20 m) and a sauna, it was considered the most modern and largest indoor swimming pool in East Berlin at the time. Designed by architect Gunther Derdau, it served as a prototype for other indoor swimming pools in the GDR. However, its history came to an end in 2000 when it was closed due to dilapidation and a lack of funds. Since then, the building has fallen into disrepair and is now a well-known lost place in Berlin.
The Pankow outdoor pool, which opened in 1960, is inextricably linked to the indoor swimming pool. While the hall has been left to decay since 2000, the outdoor pool underwent extensive renovation in the same year. Since then, it has attracted visitors with a heated 50-metre pool, a diving tower with heights of 3 m, 5 m and 7.5 m, a high-speed slide and two other slides, an adventure pool with a current channel and water cannons, a 2,800 m² sunbathing lawn including a nudist area and much more.
Future plans & new building
Back in 2018, a plan was developed for the Pankow indoor swimming pool that envisaged a multifunctional pool in combination with a three-form entry elementary school and a sports hall on the site. The pool complex was to include a leisure pool, a sauna and a sports pool (also for school swimming lessons). Completion was originally scheduled for 2025. However, the project stalled due to problems with planning, financing and procedures.
A new decision was finally made in May 2025: Instead of a large combined pool, a pragmatic functional pool is now to be built. The costs for this are estimated at 15 to 22 million euros, with completion scheduled for 2029. There are no plans for luxury facilities, but the hall should be usable – for school and club sports as well as for the public. The originally planned combined swimming pool with costs of around 75 million euros has thus been massively slimmed down in favor of a cost-effective and functional hall.