For decades now, public swimming pools in Mülheim an der Ruhr have been killed off through lack of funding or abandoned. 2024 was even in danger of becoming a summer without a single open-air pool. At the same time the market in private pools is booming: those who can afford it are seeking comfort and security in their own gardens.
As a counter proposal to this privatisation of leisure time, the Impulse Theater Festival in association with artists and Ringlokschuppen Ruhr will open a summer pool for eleven days in the MüGa-Park. The group Conte Potuto will construct a pool of dreams: with almost no water, but filled with the visitors’ wishes and ideas. TachoTinta play on dry land with an underwater rugby team, and the Tigers’ Kitchen not only produces fries but also slushy pop songs.
Together with local initiatives and sports clubs, the artists present actions and conversations exploring issues around open-air swimming pools: who is allowed in, who has to stay outside? What sort of encounters are possible here? And which social conflicts can be seen at public pools? SCHWIMM CITY looks the increasing polarisation of society squarely in the eye and counters it with shared pleasure. Because one thing is certain: everyone can agree on the swimming pool snack: fries. They’re vegan, halal, kosher, gluten- and lactose-free.
Entry is free of charge, no registration required.
If you like, bring swimwear and a towel. But all other outfits are just as welcome!
As part of the 'ExtraSchicht' (1.6.) free admission only with registration by 31.5. at stadtprojekt[at]impulsefestival.de.
Thursday, 30.5., open 12:00–20:00
The artists of the Austrian collective Conte Potuto will build and operate SCHWIMM CITY. They take care of the pool, distribute sun loungers and sun shades - an all-round service focussing on the guests' needs. If it was up to Conte Potuto, people should have the right to be idle in public!
TIGERS’ KITCHEN are the actor and chef Nadja Duesterberg and the musician and performer Svea Kischmeier. At SCHWIMM CITY they run a snack bar that is also a radio station. Radio Pommes broadcasts every day online from 14:00 to 18:00 h. At the end of each working day and broadcast, TIGERS’ KITCHEN perform a slushy pop song in their snack bar that they have produced in the course of the day together with their customers.
An act of celebration with fries and ice lollies!
At the "Hellblaue Stunde", or twilight, the open-air pool provides an opportunity for speculation. Swimming pool and water sport experts are invited to come and talk, and to discuss what a pool for everyone might look like and what is needed to create a dream pool of the future.
These twilight talks willl be broadcast live online on Radio Pommes by TIGERS’ KITCHEN. The artists of Conte Potuto will pick up on ideas from the conversations and include these in the process of designing SCHWIMM CITY.
Different body images and clichés come together in the outdoor pool. '4ever young' is a staged fashion show with various bathing and outdoor pool accessories from different decades. Summer pop songs from the 80s and 90s serve as the soundtrack. How do social norms and ideas influence our perception of our bodies? What has changed over the years? And where are we today?
Underwater rugby is a fascinating niche sport that was supposedly invented in Mülheim an der Ruhr. In Overwater Rugby: Club Darlington e.V., the dance company TachoTinta plays with underwater rugby players on dry land. To do this, the rules have to be changed and new groupings have to be formed – and sometimes the referee also has to be contradicted. Training turns into choreography and the contest turns into a dance.
At the end of each working day, TIGERS’ KITCHEN perform a slushy pop song in their snack bar that they have produced in the course of the day together with their customers. Open Mic for all fans of fries and pop
On the opening day of SCHWIMM CITY, Conte Potuto invite you to a concert. The Viennese band AUTOR combines tried-and-trusted punk influences with catchy melodies and cryptic lyrics. Their music combines the rawness of the DIY music scene with nonchalance and plays with the grey areas in between poetry and punk.
Friday, 31.5., open 12:00–18:00
The artists of the Austrian collective Conte Potuto will build and operate SCHWIMM CITY. They take care of the pool, distribute sun loungers and sun shades - an all-round service focussing on the guests' needs. If it was up to Conte Potuto, people should have the right to be idle in public!
TIGERS’ KITCHEN are the actor and chef Nadja Duesterberg and the musician and performer Svea Kischmeier. At SCHWIMM CITY they run a snack bar that is also a radio station. Radio Pommes broadcasts every day online from 14:00 to 18:00 h. At the end of each working day and broadcast, TIGERS’ KITCHEN perform a slushy pop song in their snack bar that they have produced in the course of the day together with their customers.
At the "Hellblaue Stunde", or twilight, the open-air pool provides an opportunity for speculation. Swimming pool and water sport experts are invited to come and talk, and to discuss what a pool for everyone might look like and what is needed to create a dream pool of the future.
These twilight talks willl be broadcast live online on Radio Pommes by TIGERS’ KITCHEN. The artists of Conte Potuto will pick up on ideas from the conversations and include these in the process of designing SCHWIMM CITY.
Different body images and clichés come together in the outdoor pool. '4ever young' is a staged fashion show with various bathing and outdoor pool accessories from different decades. Summer pop songs from the 80s and 90s serve as the soundtrack. How do social norms and ideas influence our perception of our bodies? What has changed over the years? And where are we today?
At the end of each working day, TIGERS’ KITCHEN perform a slushy pop song in their snack bar that they have produced in the course of the day together with their customers. Open Mic for all fans of fries and pop
Saturday, 1.6., 18:00–23:00
SCHWIMM CITY opens as part of 'ExtraSchicht – Die Nacht der Industriekultur'
The 'ExtraSchicht – Night of Industrial Culture' has been staging former industrial plants, museums and historical monuments in the Ruhr region since 2001. Traditionally, the Ringlokschuppen Ruhr is also part of the programme. The programme includes a long night in the SCHWIMM CITY with theatre, comedy, concerts and DJs from 'ExtraSchicht'.
Free admission to SCHWIMM CITY on this day only with registration by 31 May at email hidden; JavaScript is required.
Paid tickets for the entire 'ExtraSchicht' programme with all venues at extraschicht.de.
The artists of the Austrian collective Conte Potuto will build and operate SCHWIMM CITY. They take care of the pool, distribute sun loungers and sun shades - an all-round service focussing on the guests' needs. If it was up to Conte Potuto, people should have the right to be idle in public! TIGERS’ KITCHEN are the actor and chef Nadja Duesterberg and the musician and performer Svea Kischmeier. At SCHWIMM CITY they run a snack bar that is also a radio station.
Different body images and clichés come together in the outdoor pool. '4ever young' is a staged fashion show with various bathing and outdoor pool accessories from different decades. Summer pop songs from the 80s and 90s serve as the soundtrack. How do social norms and ideas influence our perception of our bodies? What has changed over the years? And where are we today?
Underwater rugby is a fascinating niche sport that was supposedly invented in Mülheim an der Ruhr. In Overwater Rugby: Club Darlington e.V., the dance company TachoTinta plays with underwater rugby players on dry land. To do this, the rules have to be changed and new groupings have to be formed - and sometimes the referee also has to be contradicted. Training turns into choreography and the contest turns into a dance.
Sunday, 2.6., open 12:00–18:00 geöffnet
Family Sunday in co-operation with 'Sport im Park', Silent University Ruhr and the vier.zentrale
The artists of the Austrian collective Conte Potuto will build and operate SCHWIMM CITY. They take care of the pool, distribute sun loungers and sun shades - an all-round service focussing on the guests' needs. If it was up to Conte Potuto, people should have the right to be idle in public!
TIGERS’ KITCHEN are the actor and chef Nadja Duesterberg and the musician and performer Svea Kischmeier. At SCHWIMM CITY they run a snack bar that is also a radio station. Radio Pommes broadcasts every day online from 14:00 to 18:00 h. At the end of each working day and broadcast, TIGERS’ KITCHEN perform a slushy pop song in their snack bar that they have produced in the course of the day together with their customers.
How do children imagine the perfect open-air swimming pool? Artists from Mülheim an der Ruhr invite children to paint and make the pool of their dreams with them (or other ideas).
Try-out training session for children. They provide dance-based insights into the fascinating sport of underwater rugby, but without water. What might it feel like underwater when it's already so much fun on the grass? Just come along and join in.
At the "Hellblaue Stunde", or twilight, the open-air pool provides an opportunity for speculation. Swimming pool and water sport experts are invited to come and talk, and to discuss what a pool for everyone might look like and what is needed to create a dream pool of the future.
These twilight talks willl be broadcast live online on Radio Pommes by TIGERS’ KITCHEN. The artists of Conte Potuto will pick up on ideas from the conversations and include these in the process of designing SCHWIMM CITY.
At the end of each working day, TIGERS’ KITCHEN perform a pop song in their snack bar that they have produced in the course of the day together with their customers. On Family Sunday, children and young people in particular are invited to come to the snack bar where they can sing the song and help to arrange it.
Monday, 3.6., open 12:00–18:00
The artists of the Austrian collective Conte Potuto will build and operate SCHWIMM CITY. They take care of the pool, distribute sun loungers and sun shades - an all-round service focussing on the guests' needs. If it was up to Conte Potuto, people should have the right to be idle in public!
TIGERS’ KITCHEN are the actor and chef Nadja Duesterberg and the musician and performer Svea Kischmeier. At SCHWIMM CITY they run a snack bar that is also a radio station. Radio Pommes broadcasts every day online from 14:00 to 18:00 h. At the end of each working day and broadcast, TIGERS’ KITCHEN perform a slushy pop song in their snack bar that they have produced in the course of the day together with their customers.
At the end of each working day, TIGERS’ KITCHEN perform a slushy pop song in their snack bar that they have produced in the course of the day together with their customers. Open Mic for all fans of fries and pop!
Tuesday, 4.6. – Women's Day
9:30–16:00 women only, 16:00–18:00 open for everyone
The artists of the Austrian collective Conte Potuto will build and operate SCHWIMM CITY. They take care of the pool, distribute sun loungers and sun shades – an all-round service focussing on the guests' needs. If it was up to Conte Potuto, people should have the right to be idle in public!
The MUT-Café's international women's group meets on Tuesdays for regular exchanges at the vier.zentrale. On 4 June they will hold their communal breakfast at the MüGa as guests at SCHWIMM CITY.
TIGERS’ KITCHEN are the actor and chef Nadja Duesterberg and the musician and performer Svea Kischmeier. At SCHWIMM CITY they run a snack bar that is also a radio station. Radio Pommes broadcasts every day online from 14:00 to 18:00 h. At the end of each working day and broadcast, TIGERS’ KITCHEN perform a slushy pop song in their snack bar that they have produced in the course of the day together with their customers.
At the "Hellblaue Stunde", or twilight, the open-air pool provides an opportunity for speculation. Swimming pool and water sport experts are invited to come and talk, and to discuss what a pool for everyone might look like and what is needed to create a dream pool of the future.
These twilight talks willl be broadcast live online on Radio Pommes by TIGERS’ KITCHEN. The artists of Conte Potuto will pick up on ideas from the conversations and include these in the process of designing SCHWIMM CITY.
At the end of each working day, TIGERS’ KITCHEN perform a slushy pop song in their snack bar that they have produced in the course of the day together with their customers. Open Mic for all fans of fries and pop!
Wednesday, 5.6., open 12:00–18:00
The artists of the Austrian collective Conte Potuto will build and operate SCHWIMM CITY. They take care of the pool, distribute sun loungers and sun shades - an all-round service focussing on the guests' needs. If it was up to Conte Potuto, people should have the right to be idle in public!
TIGERS’ KITCHEN are the actor and chef Nadja Duesterberg and the musician and performer Svea Kischmeier. At SCHWIMM CITY they run a snack bar that is also a radio station. Radio Pommes broadcasts every day online from 14:00 to 18:00 h. At the end of each working day and broadcast, TIGERS’ KITCHEN perform a slushy pop song in their snack bar that they have produced in the course of the day together with their customers.
At the "Hellblaue Stunde", or twilight, the open-air pool provides an opportunity for speculation. Swimming pool and water sport experts are invited to come and talk, and to discuss what a pool for everyone might look like and what is needed to create a dream pool of the future.
These twilight talks willl be broadcast live online on Radio Pommes by TIGERS’ KITCHEN. The artists of Conte Potuto will pick up on ideas from the conversations and include these in the process of designing SCHWIMM CITY.
At the end of each working day, TIGERS’ KITCHEN perform a slushy pop song in their snack bar that they have produced in the course of the day together with their customers. Open Mic for all fans of fries and pop!
Thursday, 6.6., open 12:00–18:00
The artists of the Austrian collective Conte Potuto will build and operate SCHWIMM CITY. They take care of the pool, distribute sun loungers and sun shades - an all-round service focussing on the guests' needs. If it was up to Conte Potuto, people should have the right to be idle in public!
TIGERS’ KITCHEN are the actor and chef Nadja Duesterberg and the musician and performer Svea Kischmeier. At SCHWIMM CITY they run a snack bar that is also a radio station. Radio Pommes broadcasts every day online from 14:00 to 18:00 h. At the end of each working day and broadcast, TIGERS’ KITCHEN perform a slushy pop song in their snack bar that they have produced in the course of the day together with their customers.
At the "Hellblaue Stunde", or twilight, the open-air pool provides an opportunity for speculation. Swimming pool and water sport experts are invited to come and talk, and to discuss what a pool for everyone might look like and what is needed to create a dream pool of the future.
These twilight talks willl be broadcast live online on Radio Pommes by TIGERS’ KITCHEN. The artists of Conte Potuto will pick up on ideas from the conversations and include these in the process of designing SCHWIMM CITY.
At the end of each working day, TIGERS’ KITCHEN perform a slushy pop song in their snack bar that they have produced in the course of the day together with their customers. Open Mic for all fans of fries and pop!
Friday, 7.6., open 12:00–22:00
The artists of the Austrian collective Conte Potuto will build and operate SCHWIMM CITY. They take care of the pool, distribute sun loungers and sun shades - an all-round service focussing on the guests' needs. If it was up to Conte Potuto, people should have the right to be idle in public!
TIGERS’ KITCHEN are the actor and chef Nadja Duesterberg and the musician and performer Svea Kischmeier. At SCHWIMM CITY they run a snack bar that is also a radio station. Radio Pommes broadcasts every day online from 14:00 to 18:00 h. At the end of each working day and broadcast, TIGERS’ KITCHEN perform a slushy pop song in their snack bar that they have produced in the course of the day together with their customers.
The volunteer-run International Women's Café has been open in Mülheim since 2020 with the support of PLANB Ruhr e.V. and funding from "KOMM-AN NRW". At SCHWIMM CITY the International Women's Café invites everyone, with or without a refugee background, to an open meeting and picnic. Whoever wishes can bring food and drink with them. However, guests without any provisions will also be warmly welcomed.
At the "Hellblaue Stunde", or twilight, the open-air pool provides an opportunity for speculation. Swimming pool and water sport experts are invited to come and talk, and to discuss what a pool for everyone might look like and what is needed to create a dream pool of the future.
These twilight talks willl be broadcast live online on Radio Pommes by TIGERS’ KITCHEN. The artists of Conte Potuto will pick up on ideas from the conversations and include these in the process of designing SCHWIMM CITY.
At the end of each working day, TIGERS’ KITCHEN perform a slushy pop song in their snack bar that they have produced in the course of the day together with their customers. Open Mic for all fans of fries and pop!
Concert and Dance Night for all swimming pool employees, sport swimmers and other keen dancers
Saturday, 8.6., open 12:00–18:00
The artists of the Austrian collective Conte Potuto will build and operate SCHWIMM CITY. They take care of the pool, distribute sun loungers and sun shades - an all-round service focussing on the guests' needs. If it was up to Conte Potuto, people should have the right to be idle in public!
TIGERS’ KITCHEN are the actor and chef Nadja Duesterberg and the musician and performer Svea Kischmeier. At SCHWIMM CITY they run a snack bar that is also a radio station. Radio Pommes broadcasts every day online from 14:00 to 18:00 h. At the end of each working day and broadcast, TIGERS’ KITCHEN perform a slushy pop song in their snack bar that they have produced in the course of the day together with their customers.
In addition to his artistic work as a performer, the Australian Damian Rebgetz is also a very good swimmer. In Germany he not only acts on numerous independent and city theatre stages, he has also spent a whole summer working as a lifeguard at a Berlin open-air pool. He has created a musical lecture-performance on the basis of his various working experiences. How do you become a lifeguard in Germany? What rules apply in swimming pools? What is a walk-through pool and how should it be filled? How can you best keep an eye on all the bathers, who is allowed to dive from the diving tower and what does this have to do with theatre? In Mülheim 'Guy Working at a Pool' will be seen in a version specially re-worked for SCHWIMM CITY.
Different body images and clichés come together in the outdoor pool. '4ever young' is a staged fashion show with various bathing and outdoor pool accessories from different decades. Summer pop songs from the 80s and 90s serve as the soundtrack. How do social norms and ideas influence our perception of our bodies? What has changed over the years? And where are we today?
At the "Hellblaue Stunde", or twilight, the open-air pool provides an opportunity for speculation. Swimming pool and water sport experts are invited to come and talk, and to discuss what a pool for everyone might look like and what is needed to create a dream pool of the future.
These twilight talks willl be broadcast live online on Radio Pommes by TIGERS’ KITCHEN. The artists of Conte Potuto will pick up on ideas from the conversations and include these in the process of designing SCHWIMM CITY.
Underwater rugby is a fascinating niche sport that was supposedly invented in Mülheim an der Ruhr. In Overwater Rugby: Club Darlington e.V., the dance company TachoTinta plays with underwater rugby players on dry land. To do this, the rules have to be changed and new groupings have to be formed – and sometimes the referee also has to be contradicted. Training turns into choreography and the contest turns into a dance.
In addition to his artistic work as a performer, the Australian Damian Rebgetz is also a very good swimmer. In Germany he not only acts on numerous independent and city theatre stages, he has also spent a whole summer working as a lifeguard at a Berlin open-air pool. He has created a musical lecture-performance on the basis of his various working experiences. How do you become a lifeguard in Germany? What rules apply in swimming pools? What is a walk-through pool and how should it be filled? How can you best keep an eye on all the bathers, who is allowed to dive from the diving tower and what does this have to do with theatre? In Mülheim 'Guy Working at a Pool' will be seen in a version specially re-worked for SCHWIMM CITY.
At the end of each working day, TIGERS’ KITCHEN perform a slushy pop song in their snack bar that they have produced in the course of the day together with their customers. Open Mic for all fans of fries and pop!
Sunday, 9.6., open 12:00–22:00
The artists of the Austrian collective Conte Potuto will build and operate SCHWIMM CITY. They take care of the pool, distribute sun loungers and sun shades - an all-round service focussing on the guests' needs. If it was up to Conte Potuto, people should have the right to be idle in public!
TIGERS’ KITCHEN are the actor and chef Nadja Duesterberg and the musician and performer Svea Kischmeier. At SCHWIMM CITY they run a snack bar that is also a radio station. Radio Pommes broadcasts every day online from 14:00 to 18:00 h. At the end of each working day and broadcast, TIGERS’ KITCHEN perform a slushy pop song in their snack bar that they have produced in the course of the day together with their customers.
In addition to his artistic work as a performer, the Australian Damian Rebgetz is also a very good swimmer. In Germany he not only acts on numerous independent and city theatre stages, he has also spent a whole summer working as a lifeguard at a Berlin open-air pool. He has created a musical lecture-performance on the basis of his various working experiences. How do you become a lifeguard in Germany? What rules apply in swimming pools? What is a walk-through pool and how should it be filled? How can you best keep an eye on all the bathers, who is allowed to dive from the diving tower and what does this have to do with theatre? In Mülheim 'Guy Working at a Pool' will be seen in a version specially re-worked for SCHWIMM CITY.
Different body images and clichés come together in the outdoor pool. '4ever young' is a staged fashion show with various bathing and outdoor pool accessories from different decades. Summer pop songs from the 80s and 90s serve as the soundtrack. How do social norms and ideas influence our perception of our bodies? What has changed over the years? And where are we today?
Underwater rugby is a fascinating niche sport that was supposedly invented in Mülheim an der Ruhr. In Overwater Rugby: Club Darlington e.V., the dance company TachoTinta plays with underwater rugby players on dry land. To do this, the rules have to be changed and new groupings have to be formed – and sometimes the referee also has to be contradicted. Training turns into choreography and the contest turns into a dance.
In addition to his artistic work as a performer, the Australian Damian Rebgetz is also a very good swimmer. In Germany he not only acts on numerous independent and city theatre stages, he has also spent a whole summer working as a lifeguard at a Berlin open-air pool. He has created a musical lecture-performance on the basis of his various working experiences. How do you become a lifeguard in Germany? What rules apply in swimming pools? What is a walk-through pool and how should it be filled? How can you best keep an eye on all the bathers, who is allowed to dive from the diving tower and what does this have to do with theatre? In Mülheim 'Guy Working at a Pool' will be seen in a version specially re-worked for SCHWIMM CITY.
Finally, there will be a foam party with DJ Lenz, songs by Damian Rebgetz and a pop parade by TIGERS' KITCHEN. The performance ‘4ever young’ by HARTMANNMUELLER will be shown again. Corks will pop, endings and new beginnings will be celebrated, and SCHWIMM CITY is transformed into the setting for a banging finale.