Open letter: Thuringian cities demand equal treatment in pool funding
Several Thuringian cities and districts have today sent a joint open letter to the parliamentary groups in the Thuringian state parliament. In it, they criticize the limitation of financial support for municipal indoor swimming pools to municipalities with a population of up to 15,000, as envisaged in the draft for the 2026/2027 double budget - and instead call for fair and needs-based funding for all municipal swimming pools, regardless of the size of the municipality.
In the letter, the signatories emphasize that the sharp rise in energy costs affects all Thuringian swimming pools equally. Technical facilities, hot water preparation, pool operation and ventilation systems cause structurally similar costs in all indoor swimming pools - often even higher in larger cities, as significantly more users are served. A restriction of funding based solely on the number of inhabitants is therefore not objectively justified and would lead to "considerable structural inequality".
The local authorities also point out that large cities in particular fulfill an important regional function. Their pools ensure school swimming, club sports and leisure swimming not only for their own population, but also for numerous surrounding communities. One-sided support for smaller municipalities could therefore weaken entire regions and contradict the goal of equal living conditions in the state.
School swimming as a state-wide task is also a key aspect: every child is entitled to swimming lessons - regardless of which municipality they live in. Selective funding would inevitably lead to unequal treatment, warn the signatories.
In view of increased energy, material and personnel costs, stable support is urgently needed in order to maintain the swimming pool infrastructure throughout the country. Otherwise, there is a risk of restrictions or even closures - with long-term consequences for swimming, health care and the club landscape.
The joint appeal to the state parliament includes in particular
- The 14 million euros earmarked to cushion energy costs should be available to all Thuringian municipalities with indoor swimming pools.
- School swimming must remain guaranteed everywhere.
- The surrounding function of large cities must be explicitly taken into account.
- Funding must be based on actual cost requirements - not on the number of inhabitants.
- Fair, sustainable funding is necessary in order to ensure the provision of services of general interest across the board.
The municipalities declare their willingness to work together with the state on a viable solution for the entire Thuringian pool landscape.
Signatories of the open letter
- Dr. Thomas Nitzsche, Lord Mayor of Jena
- Andreas Horn, Lord Mayor of Erfurt
- Kurt Dannenberg, Lord Mayor of Gera
- André Knapp, Lord Mayor of Suhl
- Peter Kleine, Lord Mayor of Weimar
- Knut Kreuch, Lord Mayor of Gotha
- Dr. Daniel Schultheiß, Lord Mayor of Ilmenau
- Christoph Ihling, Lord Mayor of Eisenach
- Dr. Johannes Bruns, Lord Mayor of Mühlhausen
- André Neumann, Lord Mayor of Altenburg
- Kai Buchmann, Lord Mayor of Nordhausen
- Jörg Reichl, Mayor of Rudolstadt
- Dr. Steffen Kania, Mayor of Saalfeld/Saale
- Frank Spilling, Mayor of Arnstadt
- Fabian Giesder, Mayor of Meiningen
- Dr. Heiko Voigt, Mayor of Sonneberg
- Olaf Müller, Mayor of Apolda
- Matthias Reinz, Mayor of Bad Langensalza
- Alexander Schulze, Mayor of Greiz
- Christian Zwingmann, Mayor of Leinefelde-Worbis
- Ralf Hauboldt, Mayor of Sömmerda
- Thomas Spielmann, Mayor of Heilbad Heiligenstadt
- Klaus Bohl, Mayor of Bad Salzungen
- Matthias Jendricke, District Administrator Nordhausen
- Peggy Greiser, District Administrator Schmalkalden-Meiningen
- Thomas Ahke, District Administrator Unstrut-Hainich-Kreis