Public pools in Basel-Stadt suffer due to Rhine swimming boom
Swimming pools in Basel have seen a drop of 19,000 visitors in the first half of the season compared to last year. The reason for this has been put down to the increasing popularity of swimming in the Rhine.
According to the figures, the attractiveness of the once-booming summer hangouts at Joggeli, Bachgraben and Egliseeappears to be wearing off. Halfway through the public pool season, figures reveal that 194,000 bathers have so far visited this year – 19,000 fewer than last year. Over the same period in 2017, 213,000 people went for a swim in the cantonal pools. Even during the extremely bad weather year 2016, Basel-City still registered 146'000 guests over the same period.
With just under 200,000 inhabitants, at least every registered Basler was a guest in a public pool this year, but it is normallysignificantly more than that. «The trend is probably declining because more and more people are swimming in the Rhine», Yvonne Reck, from the Department of Education of Basel-Stadt, said.
Record time in the 1960s
The oldest public pool in Basel is the Eglisee, which celebrated its opening in 1931. Later, after the turmoil of the Second World War, the «Joggeli» was built and opened in 1955. It was not until 1962 that Bachgraben followed.
A visit to the public pool was part of summer at that time. Swimming in the Rhine would have been unthinkable, as the water was far too dirty. The high time for the public swimming pools was in the 1960s and 1970s. «At that time, there were up to 8,000 guests a day in good weather conditions», Rolf Moser, head of Basel’s pools, said. Public pools were the number one summer attraction – there was nothing else. He said that, compared to today, this was an enormously high number: Only3,000 guests per day have been counted so far in the current season.
Rhine swimming today is not a trend but an integral part of summer
With the construction of a sewage treatment plant and the opening of the «Pro Rheno Ara» in the early 1980s, Rhine swimming became popular. Suddenly, there was the opportunity to cool down for free in the River. And this marked the beginning of the public pool decline. »Visitor numbers were already declining in the 1990s», said Rolf Moser.
But there are always exceptions, as was the case fifteen years ago. Back in the record summer of 2003, about 800,000 visitors visited Basel's garden baths. That’s twice as many as usual. One thing remains clear: not only the Rhine, but also Saint Peter decides on the seasonal success of the garden baths. But with the clean water of Basel's most important river, the party mile with its buvettes, and the newly laid out beaches, the public pools will probably never be as full as in the old days.
Woman attacked and injured: arrests made
Two female suspects have been arrested after a 24-year-old woman was attacked in Basel on Wednesday night.
Police investigations reveal that there had been an argument between the 24-year-old and two other women in front of a restaurant in Webergasse shortly after midnight. The argument then escalated near Teichgässlein or Sägergässlein, with thewoman being struck on the face with an object, resulting in a serious injury. When the 24-year-old ran back to Webergasse, she was allegedly attacked by the second woman.
The two suspected attackers fled, but they were stopped shortly afterwards by police. The two arrested women are both Nigerian, aged 23 and 37.
The 24-year-old had to be taken to the emergency unit at the hospital by paramedics for treatment.
The exact course of events and the reason for the attack have not yet been clarified and are subject to further investigation. Anyone who can provide relevant information is asked to contact the police on phone number 061 267 71 11 or report to their nearest police station.
Control for illegal employment at Basel border
More than 30 people face investigation and one person has been arrested in an operation targeting illegal workers in Basel-Stadt.
Staff from the Basel-Stadt Office for Migration conducted a coordinated search at the Weil-Otterbach border crossing together with staff from the city’s Office of Economy and Labour.
The operation, supported by the border guard corps, involved inspectors checking people in vehicles crossing the border from Germany between 6am and 8.30am on Wednesday morning. The main focus was compliance with the reporting and authorisation obligations regarding social security laws, the law concerning foreigners, and withholding tax laws.
A total of 55 people were searched. Among them, in-depth investigations will be carried out into 31 people to determine whether violations of the Federal Act on Illegal Employment (BGSA) occurred. Their cases concern obligations within the social and withholding tax law.
One person was arrested by the border guard corps on a number of criminal charges including negligent physical injury. This person was handed over to the cantonal Police of Basel-Stadt.