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Image by IgorDaems
Nothing beats a good swim when you need to clear your head. I consider myself very lucky to be living very near to probably Belgium’s most beautiful swimming pool “De Veldstraat”. When you approach the building you can see, feel and smell the hot steam escaping from the manholes. It was built in 1933 in Art Deco style and was very popular until it slowly ran down and ultimately closed in 2005.
But a massive renovation later and De Veldstraat is open again. And it’s very impressive. They restored as much as possible in its original state so you really feel like swimming in a monument here. In 2009 it was chosen as Flanders’ top monument.
There’s not only a 33 meter swimming pool here (which was the Olympic standard at the time) but also a hot tub complex and hammam. What I think is very handy: you don’t have to put your clothes in a locker, you just lock your personal changing room. Be sure to bring tight swim wear (speedo-type) because they will not let you swim in shorts.
Swimming pool “De Veldstraat” | Relaxing | A swim € 3
Veldstraat 81 | +3232905555
Mon – Fri 07:00 – 22:00, Sat – Sun 08:00 – 18:00
Hi Dan, I’m sorry to hear you weren’t allowed to swim in “De Veldstraat”, I’ll add a remark to my post so future swimmers know that they should bring tight swim wear.
Was very keen to try this place with my daughter. Walked from the station through an extensive seedy district that appeared not be a part of Europe at all to arrive at the 1930′s oasis of swimming ” de veldstraat” This might have been a great experience except that they would not allow me in with my swim wear. I was given a lecture about water quality and was offered a pair of tight speedos ( at a cost) We left musing on a new phenomenon. “swimming pool wear fascists!” Instead we went to the Olympic pool in the south which was great