Schwimmhalle Finckensteinallee

A swimming pool with history: The Finckensteinallee swimming hall in Lichterfelde (Steglitz-Zehlendorf) is one of Berlin's most remarkable indoor pools. The listed building from 1937/38 today houses a publicly accessible 50-meter pool, which equally attracts competitive swimmers and casual lane swimmers.

Finckensteinallee Swimming Hall: Berlin’s Historic Sports Water

If you’re looking for a swimming pool with more stories to tell than others, Lichterfelde is the right place. The Finckensteinallee swimming hall was built in 1937/38 in the Steglitz-Zehlendorf district and, with its 50-meter long and 25-meter wide swimming pool, was then the largest swimming hall of its kind in Europe. Until 1994, the hall was exclusively a military sports facility: originally built for Hitler’s Leibstandarte, it was used by US forces from 1954 after being closed due to the war. Comprehensively reconstructed, the swimming pool has been open to the public since 2014.

This also makes the hall an architectural peculiarity: it measures 15 meters clear height, originally featured partly retractable windows, expensive building materials, and elaborate technical systems. For the glass roof, the architects had oriented themselves on the Stadtbad Mitte, which was internationally recognized at the time. In short: here you swim your laps under a roof that is unparalleled.

Swimming in Berlin at 50 Meters: What the Pool Offers Today

From a sporting perspective, the swimming pool in Lichterfelde provides everything competitive swimmers need. There is no non-swimmer area in the swimming hall. The water is 2 meters deep everywhere, and entry is via ladders. The clientele is accordingly more adult and goal-oriented than in a leisure pool. The Finckensteinallee swimming pool features a 50-m swimming pool with 27 °C warm water and a communal changing room.

Furthermore, the indoor pool is barrier-free: accessible parking spaces are available on site for people with disabilities, there is a long ramp and an automatic door, as well as an accessible changing room with shower and toilet, a water wheelchair, a lift, and tactile guidance strips for the blind and visually impaired. Various aqua programs are also offered in Berlin’s swimming halls, for example Aqua Pilates, Aqua Rückenfit, and Aquafit for pregnant women. The indoor pool is closed from the beginning of July to the end of August, which is why a visit during the autumn and winter months is particularly worthwhile. From May 5, 2025, new prices will apply in the swimming halls of the Berliner Bäder-Betriebe; current rates can be found directly on berlinerbaeder.de.