Youth Pool Burgfarrnbach Facing Closure: City Examines Permanent Shutdown

The youth pool Burgfarrnbach is facing a fundamental decision. High renovation needs, sharply declining visitor numbers, and a lack of staff, from the perspective of the administration and operator infra fürth, all point to an end of operations – yet the CSU is still campaigning for its preservation.

Decision on Permanent Cessation of Operations

The Finance and Administration Committee of the City of Fürth is to discuss a permanent cessation of operations on June 10, 2026. The pool has remained closed so far this season. Before reopening, infra fürth estimates that investments of at least 165,000 euros would be necessary to enable safe and proper operation again.

For around 60 years, the pool behind the Farrnbach School has been used as a seasonal outdoor pool. It is deliberately manageable and tailored especially to children and teenagers:

• Unheated pool (8 × 20 m) with a water depth of 0.80 to 1.35 m
• About 1,000 m² sunbathing lawn
• Changing rooms and toilets
• Permitted: Children and teenagers up to and including 14 years old as well as their accompanying persons

Technical Deficiencies and Safety Risks

The findings compiled by infra fürth go beyond individual repairs. Several central systems are considered severely damaged or no longer reliably usable:

• Measurement and dosing technology for pool water treatment
• Control cabinet
• Backwash air blower
• Circulation pumps
• Various fittings

Particularly significant is a suspected defect in the pool water technology. According to infra's assessment, the system has been losing large amounts of water since last season. Possible causes mentioned are a pipe break in the ground or massive leakage at the pool. Up to 50,000 euros are estimated for locating and repairing the issue alone.

There are also other deficiencies that directly affect operational safety:

• Electrical systems in changing rooms, sanitary rooms, and supervision rooms no longer meet requirements
• Water pipes are heavily corroded
• Tile covering at the pool and on the path from the changing room to the water is uneven
• Staircase from the schoolyard to the entrance gate shows subsidence and increased risk of accidents

Altogether, this results in a renovation package that includes fundamental technical upgrades and traffic safety.

Decline in Visitor Numbers, Costs, and Staff

In parallel with the structural condition, usage has also changed significantly. For 2023, 600 bathers are mentioned, for 2024 only 465, and for 2025 just 275. Thus, demand has fallen to less than half within two years.

The cost structure of pool operations reacts to this only to a limited extent: Lifeguarding, water treatment, cleaning, and technical support remain necessary – regardless of whether 20 or 200 people come on a given day. For 2025, operating expenses of 38,500 euros net are mentioned; in previous years, expenses were also in the five-digit range.

Translated into usage, this means: Even without additional renovation costs, the effort per bather in 2025 was well over 100 euros. This ratio is a central point in the current consideration.

The situation is exacerbated by a staffing problem. According to infra, the previously employed specialist is no longer available, as they are needed at the Stadeln indoor pool. A short-term arrangement for operation is currently open.

Political Debate on Social Function

The debate is not conducted solely on the basis of numbers. In the city’s proposal, the youth pool is explicitly described as an important social meeting place for children and teenagers in Burgfarrnbach – as a place for exercise, low-threshold leisure activities, and cooling off on hot days.

The restriction to young visitors defines the character of the pool: It is less a classic family outdoor pool and more a protected summer space in the immediate vicinity of the school and residential area.

At the same time, the administration points out that, due to its structural design, the pool is only suitable to a limited extent for structured swimming instruction. It therefore does not have a central function for school or club-organized swimming lessons. Even preservation would primarily support leisure use.

Proposals for Resolution and Subsequent Use

The CSU city council faction is in favor of preservation. Faction leader Maximilian “Max” Ammon criticized that information on necessary investments came too late to find a timely solution. In his view, the pool will probably not reopen this season.

The administration, on the other hand, presents a clear proposal to the committee: Permanent cessation of operations should be decided and the administration tasked with developing a concept for subsequent use.

• Expansion of school open spaces
• Further uses in connection with the adjacent school site
• Options such as storage areas or a covered outdoor seating area
• Redesign – e.g., into a school garden after decommissioning and filling in the pool

This focuses the decision on a core political question: How much is a small-scale, social summer place for children and teenagers worth to the city, when at the same time significant technical risks, lack of skilled staff, and permanently high fixed costs argue against reopening? The answer is to be decided in the committee – and will shape the development of the school and open space behind the Farrnbach School in the long term.