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Outdoor pool season 2025: Weather chaos causes empty pools in SH!
The 2025 outdoor pool season in Schleswig-Holstein is closing with strong sales, but with mixed visitor numbers due to the weather, especially in Pinneberg.
Outdoor pool season 2025: Weather chaos causes empty pools in SH!
The outdoor swimming season in Schleswig-Holstein is coming to an end, and the results are mixed. As ndr.de reports, many outdoor pools have suffered from changeable weather. In July in particular, rain and cool temperatures resulted in empty pools, while the high temperatures in August provided some momentum. But what is it really like in the outdoor swimming pools in the north?
The differences in visitor numbers are particularly noticeable. The Hennstedt outdoor pool in the Dithmarschen district had up to 1,000 bathers on good days, but only a meager 65 on bad days. The Geesthacht leisure pool reported around 115,000 guests by the end of the season, which corresponds to a decrease of 15% compared to the previous year. According to shz.de, families in particular who would normally want to spend a whole day in the outdoor pool stayed away. So the weather gods didn't have the best hand for the summer months.
Optimism despite challenges
Despite these challenges, the operators of the outdoor pools are showing optimism. Heated pools and creative offerings were able to keep operations stable, especially in larger cities such as Neumünster and Kiel. However, outdoor pools in Nordhastedt, Itzstedt, Tarp and Trappenkamp also reported a decline in the number of visitors. It is hoped that some pools may be able to extend their season - the operators maintain the belief in a golden late summer.
A bright spot was the “BecksDays” event in the Beckersberg natural pool, which attracted free admission and helped the pool to record a constant 7,700 visitors. Innovative activities such as costume or pajama swimming ensured that the outdoor pools did not go completely empty-handed. The creative ideas were probably necessary because, according to a spokesman, many facilities are struggling with a shortage of lifeguards. There is currently a shortage of around 3,000 skilled workers in Schleswig-Holstein.
Drastic changes and future prospects
The season officially ended on September 20th, at a large community festival at the lake. It is also interesting that two outdoor swimming pools in the region remained closed in 2025: the Aventoft outdoor swimming pool in the Nordfriesland district and the Weiche outdoor swimming pool in Flensburg, which is planned for demolition and new construction by 2028. The trend shows that many outdoor swimming pools in Schleswig-Holstein need to be renovated. It remains to be seen how cities and communities can meet these challenges in order to ensure the preservation of the pools.
From a Germany-wide perspective, interest in domestic travel destinations remains high. Data from tui.com shows that 29% of Germans plan to vacation within Germany and the popularity of swimming pools remains unbroken. Germans still enjoy swimming, and the number of people who hop in the water at least once a week has almost doubled since 2015. This suggests that there will continue to be considerable interest in outdoor swimming pools in the future.
In conclusion, it can be said that the 2025 outdoor pool season showed many facets. While the weather didn't always cooperate, the operators' initiatives proved that creativity was needed to cope with the circumstances despite fewer visitors. The hope is that the coming years will bring more sunshine and correspondingly more visitors.