Freibad Falkenwiese

The Freibad an der Falkenwiese is a protected river swimming pool in Lübeck, set on the banks of the Wakenitz east of the old town. It stands where the Falkenwiese meadow once hosted falconry for the city in the Middle Ages. The water is held back by a medieval dam, giving the stretch a calm, lake-like surface ideal for swimming. The site has been a public bath since 1899, replacing an earlier private pool built in 1799 by swimming teacher Anton Kreidemann. After losing its predecessor to the Elbe–Lübeck Canal works, the city opened the new men-only Falkenwiese bath in June 1899. Women were admitted only from 1907, and separate wooden entrances remained until the 1980s. After a fire in 1989 and talk of closure, local protests saved the pool and it gained official protection in 1997. Today the 50-metre pool has a 1 220-square-metre shallow area for beginners and a deeper 2 750-square-metre section reaching three metres. A one-metre and a three-metre diving board, plus a waterslide, serve swimmers. A 250-square-metre tent roof and a mobile stage allow concerts, theatre and readings throughout summer. The annual WakenitzMan race draws hundreds, and performers such as the Deutsch-Iberoamerikanische Gesellschaft and the theatre Partout have used the open-air stage for shows and readings.