Volksbühne
am Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz

House and Swimming Rules

VOLKSBAD at Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz

Valid from 7 August to 3 October 2026. These House and Swimming Rules apply to all visitors to VOLKSBAD (a temporary use area on Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz) and are binding on everyone upon entering the site.

VOLKSBAD is a temporary project by the Volksbühne am Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz: an outdoor pool in the heart of the city, free to access. So that we can all enjoy VOLKSBAD together and swim safely, we ask you to observe these House and Swimming Rules and to follow the instructions of our VOLKSBAD team.

These House and Swimming Rules supplement the General Terms and Conditions of the Volksbühne am Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz. Use of VOLKSBAD and its facilities is at your own risk.

2. Scope

These House and Swimming Rules apply to the entire VOLKSBAD site on Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz, including the pool, the visitor platform, changing rooms, showers, toilet facilities, the entrance area, and the pavilion offering food and drink.

Additional or different rules may apply during special events at VOLKSBAD (e.g. performances and special formats held during regular swimming hours); these will be announced on site.

3. Opening Hours and Time Slots

Monday: closed
Tuesday: 12:00–20:00
Wednesday: 12:00–20:00
Thursday: 13:00–21:00
Friday: 12:00–20:00
Saturday: 12:00–20:00
Sundays and public holidays: closed

Access to VOLKSBAD is via a free time-slot ticket, which can be booked in advance on the Volksbühne website. Any remaining tickets may be available on site at the box office at the entrance.

A booked time slot is valid for two hours from the booked start time. Entry is only possible within the first 20 minutes after the start of the time slot; after that, the right to entry for that slot lapses. Late entry does not extend the overall length of the time slot, including where this is due to waiting times at the entrance. If you need more time due to a disability or health condition, please let our entrance staff know how much additional time you require.

Access to the site does not guarantee immediate access to the pool. If the pool is full, please wait until space becomes available.

Please leave the site once your time slot has ended, so that other visitors can also use VOLKSBAD. Once you have left the site, re-entry with the same time-slot ticket is not possible.

To monitor the length of visitors’ stay, coloured wristbands are issued on busy days and must be worn for the duration of your visit. Once you leave the VOLKSBAD site (through the timber perimeter fence entrance), your time-slot ticket becomes invalid.

Everyone must leave the water no later than 15 minutes before closing time.

4. Admission

Access to the VOLKSBAD site is free of charge and open to everyone in principle. We reserve the right to refuse admission in the following cases:

  • where a person is visibly under the influence of alcohol or other intoxicating substances;
  • in cases of notifiable infectious diseases or open wounds;
  • where pets are brought onto the site, with the exception of assistance dogs with appropriate documentation;
  • for intended commercial or other uses not typical of a swimming facility, without our prior consent;
  • for behaviour that breaches the Volksbühne's Code of Conduct.

5. Children, Young People and Duty of Supervision

Children under 10 may generally only visit VOLKSBAD when accompanied by a suitable person able to swim (aged at least 16). The accompanying person is responsible for supervising the children in their care and for their behaviour, including at the poolside and in the sanitary facilities.

Children over 10 may visit VOLKSBAD unaccompanied, provided they can swim confidently. Assessing a child's swimming ability is the responsibility of their parent or guardian.

Our lifeguards supervise swimming in and around the pool but do not replace the accompanying person’s duty of supervision.

Infants and toddlers are welcome at VOLKSBAD when accompanied by their parents, but may not use the pool. No dedicated facilities are available for this age group (e.g. a paddling pool); sun shade and pram parking are only available to a limited extent. Please bring any equipment you may need. Visits are undertaken at the sole responsibility of the parent or guardian; the operator accepts no liability.

6. Swimming in the Pool

The maximum water depth of the VOLKSBAD pool is 1.30 m. For safety reasons, non-swimmers may only enter the pool where the water reaches no higher than their chest (a body height of approx. 1.60 m), or when accompanied by a suitable person able to swim. If you are unsure, please speak to our lifeguards.

The pool has capacity for a maximum of 50 people at any one time. Once this number is reached, you may need to wait briefly until space becomes available.

Access to the pool is only via the designated steps. Jumping in from the edge of the pool is not permitted due to the shallow water depth.

  • Ducking other swimmers or pushing them into the water is not permitted.
  • Running around the pool, and climbing on or over railings, ladders and containers, is dangerous and not permitted.
  • Swimming aids and inflatable toys may only be used in agreement with our supervisory staff.

The visitor platform and VOLKSBAD’s infrastructure are a temporary structure erected in the public street area specifically for the duration of the swimming season. With this type of structure, joints, edges and slight unevenness in the flooring may occur. Please move carefully and at an appropriate pace across the platform and walkways, especially when barefoot.

It can be slippery around the pool and in and around the showers. Please walk slowly and look out for one another.

A staff-operated lift is available for access to the platform. If you would like to use the lift, please let our entrance staff know. For hygiene reasons, personal wheelchairs that have been used outdoors cannot be taken onto the pool platform. A VOLKSBAD wheelchair and a walking frame are available for use at the pool.

7. Hygiene and Swimwear

Showering before swimming is compulsory.

Please wear clean, commercially available swimwear only. For hygiene reasons, street clothing is not permitted in the pool, and outdoor shoes are not permitted in the barefoot area on the decking around the pool.

8. Weather Conditions

VOLKSBAD is an outdoor pool and is directly exposed to the weather. Please make sure you use sufficient sun protection and avoid spending too long unprotected in the sun. In the event of a thunderstorm, strong winds, hail or heavy rain, we ask you to leave the pool and the site immediately and to follow our team's instructions.

9. Further Rules

  • Glass bottles and other dangerous or breakable items must be left outside due to the risk of injury.
  • Please do not eat in or directly at the poolside – drinks and chips are available to buy at the Volksbühne pavilion.
  • The consumption of drugs and alcohol is not permitted at VOLKSBAD.
  • Pets must stay at home. Assistance dogs with appropriate documentation are permitted.
  • Open fires and barbecues are not permitted anywhere on the site.
  • In an emergency, please inform supervisory staff immediately.
  • Escape routes and emergency exits must be kept clear at all times.
  • The use of audio playback devices, such as portable speakers, is not permitted.

10. Photography and Filming

Photographing or filming other people without their consent is not permitted at VOLKSBAD. If you are photographed or filmed without having been asked, please speak to a member of the VOLKSBAD team immediately.

The use or wearing of glasses with an integrated camera is not permitted.

11. Respectful Conduct

The principles of the Volksbühne's Code of Conduct apply at VOLKSBAD: other people must be treated with respect and their dignity upheld at all times. Insults, harassment, discrimination, threats, and violence will not be tolerated.

If you notice a breach of the Volksbühne's Code of Conduct, please speak to VOLKSBAD staff.

12. Right of Admission

VOLKSBAD’s right of admission is exercised by the VOLKSBAD team on behalf of the Volksbühne am Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz. Please be courteous to our team – they help ensure that everyone can swim safely. Please follow the team’s requests and instructions.

In the event of a breach of these House and Swimming Regulations, or where other people are put at risk, the VOLKSBAD team may temporarily exclude individuals from swimming or ask them to leave the site. In serious or repeated cases, a temporary or permanent ban may be imposed; in such cases, there is no right to re-admission.

There is no entitlement to use of the facilities, or to any alternative arrangement, should VOLKSBAD need to close. The sale or commercial transfer of free time-slot tickets is not permitted and may result in exclusion from swimming and/or a ban.

If you have any questions, feedback or complaints, please speak directly to our team on site, or email us at volksbad@volksbuehne-berlin.de.

13. Liability

These House and Swimming Regulations, as well as the General Terms and Conditions of the Volksbühne am Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz, apply at VOLKSBAD. Use of VOLKSBAD and its facilities is at your own risk. The Volksbühne accepts no liability for valuables brought onto the site; we recommend that you do not leave valuables unattended.

A limited number of lockers are available on site (coin deposit of €1/€2); no liability is accepted for their contents. After closing time, any locked lockers will be opened and their contents treated as lost property.

14. Entry into Force

These House and Swimming Regulations enter into force on 7 August 2026 and apply for the duration of VOLKSBAD's operation, until 3 October 2026 at the latest.