A delightful and, in the best sense, mass-friendly initiative has been launched by Matthias Lilienthal, the new artistic director of the Berlin Volksbühne: a 25-meter-long swimming pool now stands directly in front of the theater on Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz. This ‘Volksbad’ can be used free of charge and is set to remain until early October. The project, costing around 300,000 Euros, is financed from the Volksbühne’s budget.
More Than Just a Cool-Down: A Political Statement
Especially on hot summer days, this offers a welcome cool-down for the population – but the action also has a political side. Lilienthal explicitly understands the bath as a statement against the decay of public infrastructure. This hits a sore spot: many municipal swimming pools in Germany are in need of renovation, have to close temporarily, or struggle with staff shortages and tight budgets.
This situation serves as a prime example of the perverse exploitative system of capitalism: social services, from swimming pools to provisions for those in need, are cut wherever possible. The money saved is then channeled into the rearmament of the Bundeswehr, serving as an imperialist war army. The health and daily joy of the masses, which naturally includes swimming, are curtailed so that the German military can fulfill the mandate of German monopolies: to secure the absolute maximum possible profit through armed force in the imperialist countries’ battle of annihilation. Such actions, like Mr. Lilienthal’s, take on a special significance, and he is to be congratulated for pushing through the swimming pool despite political opposition.
Historical Resonance at Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz
The ‘Volksbad’ gains a particular historical resonance due to its location. The Karl-Liebknecht-Haus also stands on Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz. From 1926 until January 1933, it was the headquarters of the Communist Party of Germany (KPD). Its long-standing chairman, Ernst Thälmann, also had his office there before the Hitler fascists occupied the building and arrested Thälmann. His daughter, Irma Thälmann-Gabel, described in her memoirs how much her father cared about the lives of poor working-class families. For example, he once treated sad Hamburg working-class children to a carousel ride they couldn’t afford themselves – an event to which she even dedicated a chapter titled ‘The Carousel’. One can assume: Ernst Thälmann would have been delighted by a free swimming pool for the public directly in front of his former workplace.
The initiative of the ‘Volksbad’ thus transcends a simple recreational offering. It becomes a poignant commentary on contemporary societal issues, drawing a direct line to historical struggles for social justice and public welfare. It challenges the prevailing economic priorities and calls for a re-evaluation of what truly constitutes a thriving, equitable society.
The question remains: will this temporary ‘Volksbad’ spark a more permanent change in how public services are valued and funded in Berlin and beyond? Or will it merely serve as a fleeting symbol of what could be, before the underlying systemic issues persist?
Source: https://www.rf-news.de/2026/kw32/berlin-ein-volksbad-vor-der-volksbuehne
