Freibad Allenmoos

The Freibad Allenmoos open-air bathing facility in Oerlikon comprises an extensive park with trees from all over the world and two swimming pools: the 50-meter (164ft) pool has a diving tower, while the non-swimmer’s pool ends in a 72-meter (236ft) long slide. In addition, the youngest guests can have fun in a separate wading pool. Volleyball courts, a restaurant, barbecue sites, and changing rooms round off the facilities on offer at this large public bath.

History/Architecture

The Freibad Allenmoos was designed by architects Max Häfeli and Werner Moser, together with landscape architect Gustav Ammann, and opened for the Swiss National Exhibition in 1939. Unlike the older box baths in the inner city, which in the 19th century served solely for local residents’ personal hygiene, the Allenmoos was designed as the first “Volksbad” – a place where the general public could spend their free time and above all engage in sporting activities. Consequently, the Allenmoos is also the prototype of Zurich’s leisure baths, which were an expression of a new body culture. Typical for a “Volksbad” is the grassy area, as well as the elaborately designed changing rooms and graceful pavilion building on the edge of the park.