Amalienbad
A swimming pool built like a palace for the people: glass roof, coloured tiles and a hall the size of a church.
At a glance
The Amalienbad in the Favoriten district was Vienna’s grandest public bath, built between 1923 and 1926 by the city architects Karl Schmalhofer and Otto Nadel. A project of “Red Vienna”, the socialist city government of the day, it gave working families a swimming hall under a glass roof, lined with coloured tile in confident Art Deco. When it opened it was among the largest indoor pools in Europe.
Key facts
- Location: Reumannplatz, Favoriten, Vienna
- Architects: Karl Schmalhofer and Otto Nadel
- Built: 1923–1926
- Style: Art Deco
- Origin: a public bath of “Red Vienna”
History
Between the wars, Vienna’s city government built housing, clinics and baths for its workers on a scale that drew the world’s attention. The Amalienbad was its showpiece pool, named after a local labour activist.
It offered swimming, steam baths and washing facilities to a district of cramped flats. Damaged in the Second World War and later restored, it still serves the neighbourhood as a public swimming bath.
What you see
The main hall is a tall room of glass and tile: a glazed roof over the pool, galleries on the sides, and patterns of blue, gold and black tile in the geometric taste of the 1920s. It feels less like a municipal pool than a temple to bathing, exactly the dignity its builders intended.
Practical information
- Open: a working public bath; check swimming hours
- Cost: admission for swimming
- Best for: the Art Deco pool hall and tilework
- Time needed: 30–45 minutes
Getting there
The Amalienbad is on Reumannplatz in Favoriten, directly above the U1 metro terminus, a short ride south of the city centre.
Nearby
- Reumannplatz — the square and its famous ice-cream parlour
- Favoriten — the working district of Red Vienna housing
Sources
- Wikipedia (German) — Amalienbad
- Stadt Wien / Wiener Bäder — official baths information
- Wikimedia Commons — image source and licence
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