Old open-air swimming pool Ypres: this will be the future

In any case, it will become a green meeting place in which water plays a central role.

The former open-air swimming pool in Ypres dates from 1885. Many Ypres residents learned to swim there or took a refreshing dip. The pool closed in the early 2000s because it no longer met the standards. Now, after more than twenty years, the deterioration is coming to an end. (read more below the photo)

What will be on the site has not yet been fully determined. The city is proposing some plans of what it could look like. The people of Ypres get a lot of input, but the intention is to turn it into a meeting place.

“What will certainly happen is that we want to recreate the view of the Menin Gate and the Fortress Walls,” says Alderman Philip Bolle. To achieve this, some elements, such as the wall of the former entrance, must disappear.” Water experience is central. “We are going to try to turn this into a large water story, a meeting place for four seasons,” says Bolle.

The swimming pool exceptionally lost its protection as a valuable heritage a few years ago. This way, much-needed works can also start to protect the city against flooding. “The VMM will be responsible for the entire technical water aspect. They will fully fund this,” says Bolle. “In addition, they also pay half of the study costs, which are not insignificant. And on top of that, and that is particularly gratifying that people think along with us: they also want to help finance the water experience part. As a result, we have a very nice deal, which allows us to help of our residents can realize something very beautiful.”