Testing out the new Horner Bad
Friendly, bright, functional. That is the impression given off by the newly built Horner Bad, which has enriched Bremen's swimming pool landscape since the beginning of June. Since the Unibad was closed to the general public due to its condition and the pandemic, there is now once again an indoor pool in Bremen near the university – with 50-metre lanes. This marks the end of a long period of forced abstinence for those ambitious swimmers who do not practice their sport in a club. We tested the pool, which is already being hailed by the press as a "new flagship with supraregional appeal”.
Four years of construction, an investment of 30 million euros, 499 changing rooms and lockers on one level, ten competition-standard lanes and a 100 square metre teaching pool. That, in figures, is the new indoor swimming pool, which forms a combo pool with the completely redone outdoor pool.
The entrance area is airy and spacious. Access to the indoor pool is on the first floor through a turnstile with an electronic card. At this point, if not sooner, experienced Unibad users will breathe a sigh of relief. The bright changing area has individual cubicles and lockers that look like they won't be easily broken into. Unlike the dim and dingy communal changing rooms at the university pool, everything here shines in well-lit snappy yellow. A practical, square, uniform look. Get changed while lost in thought, and you might ask yourself on the way to the showers, where am I actually? Osterholz-Scharmbeck? Würzburg? Some other high-standard facility? The showers are functional, and invitingly clean. By the time you reach the indoor pool with its large windows, where you actually are becomes clear again. Going one way, you swim directly towards the drop tower. The pool, with its ten competition lanes and state-of-the-art lifting technology, can be used in a variety of ways. Those who want to swim for time can track it to the second thanks to two huge digital clocks, which are easy to read even for short-sighted people from the opposite end of the pool. But the most beautiful thing is how it feels to swim in this pool, which is heated to 25 degrees via district heating. Unlike in the university pool, you don't have to be a swimming algae researcher. Nevertheless, in this functionalist building, you will miss the charm of Unibad’s glass-enclosed pool area and its industrial aesthetic.
The entry fee of 5.70 euros for 2.5 hours is quite reasonable. If you only want to use the outdoor pool, you can stay all day for 4.80 euros.
Conclusion: The new Horner Bad is a real gain for Bremen. Hopefully, politicians and administrators will bear in mind that maintenance is a permanent task which includes major renovations after several years of use, and will not stand idly by until the next generation can only scrap the ruin.
