In this year we were suddenly allowed to go naked in the pool (but with a curtain in front)

In 1978, the Dutch Association for Sexual Reform managed to allow people from Zoetermeer to swim naked in the Bathing and Sports Center De Driesprong. But the decision was not without a struggle…

From April of that year, the naked bathers were given permission to swim laps in their naked nothingness for an hour. We read this article in a Algemeen Dagblad newspaper article dated January 5, 1978.

Plunging yourself into chlorinated water

Not everyone within the college and away from the swimming pool agreed with the decision to allow nude swimmers in the Zoetermeer swimming pool. Because: public order and good morals could be endangered!

Mr. Geisberg, speaker at the meeting, made no bones about it: “I can imagine that there are people who find it tempting to swim naked, want to feel one with nature. I can hardly imagine the pleasure of throwing oneself under the neon tubes in a container of chlorinated water. However, if you do this without swimming trunks, public order will be disturbed. Discretion is in jeopardy!”

No snoopers

As most people in Zoetermeer know, the building of De Driesprong swimming pool was mostly made of glass. This allowed us to see swimmers from the outside. In order not to disturb public order during nude swimming, the municipality had to prevent prying eyes from looking in. The idea was to do this through a curtain. After a long meeting, it was finally decided that the nude swimmers would have to pay for the costs of that new curtain themselves. Because: “No one has asked whether people are going to swim naked there. That only comes from the nude swimmers themselves. Then they can also pay the bill.”

Also naked in the outdoor pool

In 1979, the municipality also decided to allow naked swimming in the outdoor swimming pool Het Keerpunt. This was only allowed on Saturday evenings between 18:00 and 20:00. Still an hour longer than in De Driesprong! Nowadays, nude recreation is no longer offered in the Zoetermeer swimming pools. The closest swimming pool where it is possible is swimming pool The Corn Mill in Zevenhuizen.

Do you have any memories of this time when nude swimming was allowed in Zoetermeer? Let the editors of indebuurt Zoetermeer know via [email protected]and we may contact you.

Source: Municipal Archives Zoetermeer