Officials in Lausanne have confirmed that they will be offering free entry to two public swimming pools on August 23. The measure is designed to help people cope with the ongoing “heat dome” heatwave over Switzerland, with authorities confirming that public pools in the city will likely stay open for longer than planned.
In a statement given to Watson, the city council of Lausanne announced that the Bellerive and Montchoisi swimming pools will be opened to the public for free on August 23. The offer is a first for the city and is open to all people, regardless of where they are resident.
The Bellerive pool - originally built in the 1930s - features access to the lake alongside several chlorinated pools and Olympic diving boards, while the smaller facility at Montchoisi offers a 50-metre pool with a wave machine.
Despite the Bellerive having a capacity of nearly 8.000 people, city officials have advised families and individuals to arrive early, as staff may refuse entry if the venues get too full. If you can't get into the two pools, officials noted that there are many freelly-accessible entry points to the lake. The Bellerive will be free to use from 9.30am to 8pm on August 23, while the Montchoisi will be open from 9am to 8.30pm.
The measure is designed to help residents and tourists cope with the “heat dome” heatwave that is currently dominating the weather in Switzerland. In a statement, the city said that the heatwave came at precisely the wrong time, as local neighbourhood pools had recently closed for the season with the end of the school holidays.
It then took several days to reopen them as authorities scrambled to secure workers to man the pools. The free entry is part of an apology to residents for the delay.
Authorities have announced that after the free pool day, the two swimming pools will remain open until September 10, and they will look into extending the swimming pool season for longer in the future.