Now that you've discovered the most original pools in Paris, why not take a trip to some of the capital's most beautiful, listed pools?
If you'd like to take a dip or swim a few laps, while enjoying theunique and stunning architecture, fromArt Deco toArt Nouveau, we'd love to take you to some of Paris's covered or open-air pools, which are as surprising as they are delightful for swimmers of all kinds.
In fact, did you know that the capital's oldest swimming pool, the Château-Landon, was inaugurated in Paris's 10th arrondissement almost 150 years ago, in 1884? So it's hardly surprising that it's currently undergoing a well-deserved facelift! Since then, municipal swimming pools have sprung up all over the place, on both Left and Right banks, to the delight of swimmers.
Summer and winter alike, it's time to don your swimsuit and bathing cap, and head off to some of Paris's most beautiful pools, listed as Historic Monuments, to relax in the water as it should be. Follow the guide!
Paris's oldest and most beautiful listed swimming pools :
Located in the district of the same name, the Butte-aux-Cailles swimming pool is one of the oldest in the capital. Built on an artesian well constructed in 1866 by François Arago, which supplies the pool with natural hot spring water, it opened its doors in 1924, replacing the former shower baths inaugurated fifteen years earlier.
Architect Louis Bonnier , a former Beaux-Arts student, gave the Butte-aux-Cailles swimming pool its characteristic Art Nouveau style , with high ceilings, a solarium, two outdoor pools - including a Nordic pool heated to 28 degrees - and a large indoor pool, framed by seven concrete arches and topped by a reinforced cement vault - modern materials for the time. Like the rest of the building, the red-brick exterior has been a listed monument since 1990.
After the Art Nouveau pool on the Butte-aux-Cailles, let's move on toArt Deco with the Molitor pool, which has had an eventful history! Inaugurated in 1929 in the presence of famous swimmers such as Americans Aileen Riggin Soule and Johnny Weissmuller, the pool was designed byarchitect Lucien Pollet, who drew inspiration from the work of architect Robert Mallets-Stevens.
Featuring an outdoor Olympic pool and a covered winter pool, both surrounded by multi-storey cabins and sandy areas for relaxation, Molitor quickly became a landmark of Parisian life and nightlife: several fashion shows, galas and plays were held there, as was an ice rink in winter, on the outdoor pool, which was frozen for the occasion.
After 60 years of sports and parties of all kinds, the pool closed in 1989 due to insalubrity, and was emptied completely, one year before being classified as a Historic Monument. The years that followed saw a succession of underground events between Molitor's yellow walls, from street-art to illegal parties, including a memorable rave party in 2001, attended by over 2,000 ravers. The pool, now part of a luxury hotel complex, finally reopened in 2014, redesigned byarchitect Jean-Philippe Nuel.
Another Art Deco gem is the Pontoise swimming pool in the 5th arrondissement, made famous by Jacques Cousteau. Indeed, it was in this pool that the famous French commander first tried out his diving suit in 1936! The pool was built in 1933 byarchitect Lucien Pollet, again in the Art Deco style, a testament to thearchitecture of the interwar period.
Classified as a Historic Monument in 1998, the building houses a large pool bathed in daylight thanks to the large glass roof - currently under renovation - that overlooks it, and framed on either side by vintage changing cubicles in the upper gallery. In the evening, the Pontoise pool is transformed and swimmers can do laps in a special atmosphere, lit only by the spotlights that illuminate the pool from the bottom; all to the sound of classical music.
Another Art Deco pool, another work byarchitect Lucien Pollet, this time in the 19th arrondissement of Paris! Opened the same year as the Pontoise pool, the Pailleron pool has changed a great deal since its inauguration in 1933. Like the Butte-aux-Cailles pool, it features a red-brick façade, and inside, large bay windows and a glass roof bathe the pools in natural light. Closed and abandoned in 1991, the swimming pool was listed as a Monument Historique in 1998, and has since become a place of exploration forurbex enthusiasts.
The City of Paris finally decided to renovate and rehabilitate the Pailleron pool. The work was carried out between 2001 and 2006 under the direction ofarchitect Marc Mimram, who chose to modernize the complex without sacrificing its past. He retained the period cabins in the upper gallery, the Art Deco façade and the original pool, to which he added a second children's pool, a solarium with lawn and a spa. The pool is now covered by a metal framework and a curved sheet-folding glass roof.
If this municipal swimming pool rings a bell, then you probably recognize it from the film Amélie Poulain, in which it serves as a backdrop. Designed byHenri Sauvage, the architect behind several of the Samaritaine stores, the Piscine des Amiraux has lived several lives. Built between 1927 and 1930 as part of aHabitations à Bon Marché complex in the 18th arrondissement, the pool houses a large pool, surrounded by two floors of changing cubicles and topped by a concrete vault withzenithal lighting.
Closed in 2015 for renovation, this swimming pool, listed as a Monument Historique since 1993, was restored in 2015 byarchitect François Châtillon, who preserved its Art Deco style, before reopening its doors to swimmers two years later.
It was with a heavy heart that we learned, in February 2022, of the closure of the Oberkampf swimming pool, the lease for the facility having not been renewed. Opened in 1886, the building is a flawless reminder of the city's past. With its hammam and sauna, its well-hidden gym and solarium, its vintage changing rooms spread over two floors around the small L-shaped pool, its warm Art Deco style and Belle Epoque architecture, the Oberkampf pool is more of a municipal bath where you can relax than a real pool where you can swim laps.
A petition has been launched to save the pool. The Town Hall of the 11th arrondissement, for its part, points out that"astudy into its protection has been carried out by the Paris Department of Cultural Affairs.It shows the real historical and heritage value of this building; it also concludes that any request for demolition should be rejected, and that protection should be envisaged during the next revision of the Local Urban Plan - a revision which will take place in 2023".
It may not be listed as a Monument Historique, but it's still the oldest indoor, heated, public swimming pool in Paris and France, inaugurated almost 150 years ago, in 1884. Designed byarchitect Lucien-Dieudonné Bessières to a commission from the Société française de gymnastique nautique, the Château-Landon pool was rebuilt between 1925 and 1927, borrowing many elements from the Art Deco style typical of Parisian pools, including the private cabins in the upper gallery, spread over two floors and overlooking the larger of the two pools, as well as its large, luminous glass roof.
Currently undergoing renovation in view of its advanced age, the Château-Landon pool is scheduled to reopen in spring 2025.
The history of the Georges Vallerey pool dates back to the inter-war years. Formerly known as the Tourelles pool, this 20th arrondissement swimming pool was built for the 1924 Summer Olympics. It was here that American swimmer Johnny Weissmuller won 4 medals, including 3 gold. Renovated between 1986 and 1989, the pool now boasts a fully retractable roof for the summer months, and a 50-meter Olympic-size pool in which swimming and water polo competitions are still held today, and which Parisians can watch from bleachers seating up to 1,500 spectators.
With a view to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, during which the Georges Vallerey pool will be used as a training pool, it is due to be renovated in the near future, exactly 100 years after its opening.
Get in the water!
