Freibad Schallacker

The Schallacker was a public open-air swimming pool in Dortmund-Hörde from 1935 until 1993. It stood on a narrow plot once part of the Hörder Bergwerks- und Hütten-Vereins steelworks, beside railway sidings and factory tracks. The name came from the nearby street Am Schallacker, though its meaning is unclear. Its waters were heated by sulphur-rich slag water from the ironworks, a discovery made when testing fire-fighting runoff. More than twenty health insurers prescribed the baths for rheumatism and respiratory illnesses. By 1938 the pool had welcomed over 140 000 swimmers and the baths had delivered 23 000 treatments. Adolf Schmidt, chairman of the local sports club, helped raise funds to build the first pool and four plunge baths. Visitors found a 25-metre main pool and smaller heated pools, including the wartime “Sprottenkiste.” The site lay between blast furnaces and towering gas pipes, yet remained a lively local spot. After bomb damage in 1944, repairs allowed swimming to resume in 1950. Later modernisation added a lined basin and warm-water showers. Today the area is an integrative community garden run by local volunteers.