Eight months of standstill

Breakdown pool still closed – ceiling was considered maintenance-free

The ceiling above the pools was installed with screws that were too weak. The damage was only discovered when part of it was hanging down.(Bild: Tschepp Markus)

The Paracelsusbad has not been plunged or renovated for eight months. The reason for the problem is the thick slatted ceiling. It was never inspected until the official closure.

The Salzburg luxury pool has been officially closed for eight months. This is because the ceiling, which was installed with screws that were too weak, is dilapidated. The necessary complete renovation of the 60 million euro indoor pool has still not begun.

"The necessary materials are in the test production phase. You can't get them at the DIY store. Everything has to be checked carefully so that another mistake doesn't happen," explains Tobias Fusban, Managing Director of the municipal real estate company SIG. The unique ceiling construction has never been inspected since the pool opened in 2019. "The ceiling didn't need to be maintained because it was considered maintenance-free. This made the damage all the more surprising," says pool operations manager Sönke Eckl-Henningsen.

The people of Salzburg were not even able to use their large, expensive indoor pool for four years. It will not reopen until 2025.(Bild: Tröster Andreas)

A protective net that would be stretched over the pools is currently being discussed. "We are currently obtaining quotes. With the safety net, we would keep the pool open for four months," says SIG boss Fusban.

It remains to be seen whether the four months will be in summer, fall or winter. The pools will have to be closed again for the complete renovation.

Whenever the go-ahead is given, the people of Salzburg will be denied their swimming pool for a whole year.