Waschmühle

The Waschmühle is an open-air swimming pool in Kaiserslautern, set in the Eselsbachtal valley north of the city. Built in 1908, it has a single pool 165.3 metres long covering 7,400 square metres. The site once housed a washing mill powered by the brook, giving the place its name. The pool’s water was originally drawn from the Eselsbach, but since 1975 it has come from deep wells. Despite the narrow valley location, summer temperatures stay between 20 and 23 °C, rising to 28 °C on hot days. A citizens’ group saved the pool in the 1990s when plans to shrink the water area were dropped. In 2011–2012 the pool was refurbished with modern filtration and chlorination to meet new standards. Visitors find a long wooden changing block in Jugendstil, a ten-metre diving tower and two springboards. The surrounding meadow offers space to lie in the sun or play. The pool is divided into a western men’s section and an eastern women’s section, reflecting its early layout.