Johanniswiese

The Johanniswiese is a public open-air swimming pool in Hildesheim, situated between the Innerste river and its overflow basin. It occupies about five hectares of land beside the Lucienvörder Allee in the city’s middle district. The site once formed part of the Innerste flood plain, so engineers raised the ground level with earth dug from the new pools. The pool opened in 1922 after years of planning, replacing older river bathing spots along the Innerste. It was designed for competitive swimming and had separate men’s and women’s sections until post-war changes removed that division. British troops used the site after 1945, but it reopened to the public in 1950. A sand beach was added in 1974 when the nearby Hohnsensee lake was created, and the entire facility was rebuilt in 1989 to modern standards. Visitors today find a 50-metre racing pool with eight lanes and a depth of 1.8 metres. Next to it lies a deep diving area with boards up to five metres high, a shallow baby pool, a larger non-swimmer pool, and a circular catch pool for the water slide. Between the old clubhouses of local water-sport clubs stretches a wide grass lawn, while a sandy shoreline along the Hohnsensee offers a place to relax beside the water.