South swimming pool

When you look into the big eyes of the brightly colored turtle, it's clear that it's mainly the little ones who should have fun here. "The stream is of course a hit with the children," says Ralf Taubert, deputy pool manager at Aachener Südhalle. "Water mushroom, turtle, water pumps, water carousel and the elephant to slide down," he says, listing the attractions that make the hall's youngest guests' eyes light up. There is also a basket with buckets, watering cans and all kinds of other toys that can be used to pour water from one side to the other. Great fun!

It wasn't always like this: the hall in Burtscheid, which opened in 1972, was initially a completely normal swimming pool: swimmers' and non-swimmers' pools - finished. But then the town decided to convert the hall: in 2002, the entire entrance area was redesigned. An elevator was installed and the hall was extended towards Amyastrasse. The wall between the vestibule with the ticket office on the first floor and the hall was removed, making it appear larger and brighter.

To the rear, towards the meadow, the old, large panoramic windows were removed and an extension made of wood, metal and glass was added. The 35-metre-long "stream" with attractions for the little ones now meanders through this extension - and the hall, which was reopened in March 2003, quickly became a magnet for families. But it's not just the little ones who have fun in the water: every Saturday, the playtime attracts children of primary school age. Finswimming is also extremely popular with this age group.

During the week, of course, the surrounding schools come for swimming lessons. Swimming lessons are an important topic for Taubert: "We'll soon be starting regular swimming lessons for children again after the outdoor pool season," he says happily. "There's still a big traffic jam after corona."

But of course, the normal swimmers who want to do their laps also come, i.e. the regulars. "There's a combined pool for swimming, a deep area for diving and jumping," explains Taubert. Since 2003, when it was renovated, it has also been illuminated: "That's when the underwater spotlights were installed. Before that, the pool was quite dark." Massage jets and a massage shower have also been installed in the non-swimmers' pool. Older people in particular swear that this water massage soothes stiff necks. A separate shower and changing rooms for people with disabilities have also been installed since the renovation, as well as a lift to lift them in and out of the pool.

According to the deputy manager, there is a very special atmosphere in the hall with all the families. Sometimes 1,000 people come at the weekend. The record is 1,517 over the course of the day - but then it is also jam-packed. But even on a normal Monday morning, some toddlers are splashing around with mom or dad. "We are the hall with the highest visitor numbers and the longest opening hours, on more than 360 days a year," explains Ralf Taubert.

Ralf Taubert likes his job and the atmosphere in the hall - even after so many years: He did his apprenticeship more out of "embarrassment": "I actually wanted to do a completely different apprenticeship with the city. But when I was preparing for my A-levels, I sent off my application too late," he recalls with a smile. His aunt, who also used to work in an indoor swimming pool in Aachen, said he could train as a swimming instructor. He did so at the Westhalle and has not regretted it: "I completed my master's degree in 1994/95." The job is demanding: "You need to know a bit about biology, chemistry, physics and math," says Taubert. And, of course, be sporty: swimming, going to the gym, cycling a lot in your free time - all the colleagues he knows actually do that.

He has been at the Südhalle since 1992 and has been the deputy manager since 2011. So he knows both the old indoor pool and the new family pool. You can tell: he likes the one with the families better.

3 questions for Klaus Schmidt, swimming pool manager at Schwimmhalle Süd