FLOW Brussels
Only outdoor pool in Brussels
"Can a ripple in the water become a tide?" I ponder while swimming my laps in FLOW, the only outdoor pool in Brussels.
Rewind to 1972. In the municipality of Evere, the last open-air swimming pool in Brussels closes down. For almost half a century, more than a million Brusseleirs won’t be able to take an outdoor swim. In 2016, citizens united in Pool is Cool, wished to re-introduce open-air swimming in Brussels. By turning public spaces into small temporary pools, Pool is Cool put pressure on politicians to take action.
Political change can be rather slow, so in 2021, Pool is Cool opened its own pool along the canal in Anderlecht: FLOW. After nearly five decades, Brusseleirs could finally splash again in the open air. But FLOW quickly grew out to be much more than just a summer pool. In winter, ice bears shiver in the Pool is Cold. You can also have a hot Flow Chaud sauna session. Or attend a music concert. Or stretch yourself during yoga or qi gong. Or do aqua gym. Or watch a swim-in movie. Or party along the pool.
It's clear that the modestly sized 17x7meters FLOW pool does not reflect Pool is Cool’s big dreams. Wrapped in my towel after my swim, I look at the ripples in the canal. Currently, politicians are exploring the possibility of a permanent outdoor swimming pool a few kilometres downstream and a natural swimming pond in the nearby Vijverspark.
What started as a ripple, became a tide.
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