A beautiful new swimming pool complex opened in Hungary – PHOTOS
After three months of trial operation, Zalaegerszeg’s new beach opened on 1 June. The complex was built at a cost of around HUF 9.5 billion (EUR 24 million) and is a swimming pool, a training pool and a beach.
Press conference
Mayor Zoltán Balaicz said at the press conference held at the site that the foundation stone of the new complex, which was built on the site of the former swimming pool and beach, was laid in 2019 as part of the Modern Cities (Modern városok) programme.
The swimming pool complex and some history
The fifty-metre, ten-lane swimming pool with almost 300 seats is also suitable for international competitions, MTI reports. The mayor added that Zala was the last Hungarian county whose capital did not to have a facility of this size.
In Zalaegerszeg, the beach was opened in 1956 on the site of a former cemetery. In 1969, the indoor swimming pool was completed with a 25-metre, five-lane pool.
The population of 40,000 at the time had grown to 60,000 by 2010, and by then, the pool had become outdated and small, and its size made it impossible to organise competitions,
Travelo reports.
In the new complex, in addition to the fifty-metre pool, a separate teaching/training pool for children has been built, as well as a new outdoor swimming pool and a new children’s pool.
There are already dates booked for training camps from within the country and abroad.
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Costs and energy efficiency
Zoltán Balaicz pointed out that previously, it cost around HUF 50 million (EUR 126,700) a year to maintain the swimming pool and the beach, while the new facility will cost HUF 270 million (EUR 684,300) a year to run.
Energy efficiency was a top priority during construction: 120 solar panels have been installed on the roof, a heat pump provides energy and the pools are fed by their own hot and cold water wells,
24.hu writes.
At the opening ceremony, László Vigh, Member of Parliament of the region, said that the new swimming pool will serve not only the city but also the inhabitants of the province, which means about 100,000 people. Swimming is one of the healthiest sports, and in Zalaegerszeg, they also want to ensure that all children who finish primary school can swim.
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Source: 24.hu, Travelo, Magyar Építők, MTI