The open-air swimming stadium in Berlin’s Olympiapark, built for the 1936 Olympic Games and still used as a public summer pool.
At a glance
The Sommerbad Olympiastadion stands within the Olympiapark in Berlin’s Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf district. It is a public outdoor swimming facility that includes a 50-metre sports pool, a separate diving pool with platforms, and two non-swimmer pools. The Berlin state swimming operator describes it as particularly well suited to sporting swimmers, while also welcoming families and children.
Key facts
- Where: Olympischer Platz 3, 14053 Berlin
- What: Outdoor swimming pool
- When: 1934–1936
- GPS: 52.5164, 13.2391 · Open in Google Maps
History
The swimming stadium was built between 1934 and 1936. It hosted the swimming competitions of the XI Olympic Summer Games in 1936. The spectator stands along the two main pools were temporarily expanded with wooden benches during the Olympic Games. After the Second World War, the largely undamaged complex was reopened to the public and has since been used both for sports events and as an outdoor pool. The stands are now in need of renovation and closed to visitors.
What you see
The photographs show the monumental stone entrance building with a tower and an observation balcony, facing a large lawn. The diving tower is a tall concrete structure with metal railings, staircases and platforms at several levels. The extensive concrete seating terraces run alongside the two main pools. A view from above shows the blue water of the pools, with a few swimmers and the diving platform in the foreground. A white tent stands on the grass in front of the stone building, with trees on the left.
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Nearby
- Olympiastadion Berlin — the main stadium of the same Olympic complex, immediately adjacent
Gallery
Sources
- Berliner Bäder-Betriebe, Sommerbad Olympiastadion: history, facilities, address and access information for the swimming stadium
- Berlin.de, Sommerbad Olympiastadion: description of the pools, diving facility and location within the Olympic Stadium complex
- Berlin 2023 Special Olympics, Olympiapark: context on the Olympiapark as a site of the 1936 Olympic Games
- Stefano Vigolo, photographs and notes to the editorial staff (2026): identification of the subject and photographs taken in 2014. Not a published source
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