Margaretenbad

The Margaretenbad is a public open-air swimming pool in Graz’s Geidorf district. Built in 1928 to plans by the Jewish architect Eugen Székely, it was the city’s first modern outdoor pool. The site sits inside a late-19th-century residential block, surrounded by mature gardens and the distinctive wooden balconies of the adjoining houses. Its history reflects both sporting success and difficult times. Austrian swimming and water-polo championships were held here in the 1930s, and the first outdoor table-tennis tournament of Grazer GAK took place in 1933. After the Second World War the pool returned to the Zerkowitz family before being taken over by the city. A citizens’ initiative saved it from closure in 2007, and today the holding Graz Freizeit runs the pool. Visitors find a 25-metre main pool with a separate shallow area, a children’s slide named Cobri, a small splash pool, two beach-volleyball courts and a sand play zone. A year-round restaurant opens onto the pool terrace, and tables for table-tennis are available. Each summer the street outside becomes a car-free festival ground for the Margerl-Grätzelfest.