The Müller’sche Volksbad has been closed for longer than ever since it opened. Branch manager Erich Kühberger explains what it is all about and what he is most looking forward to when it reopens.
SZ: Mr. Kühberger, the indoor swimming pools should have opened again a long time ago. The Müller’sche Volksbad has been closed since November 1st of last year. Why?
Erich Kühberger: This long duration is unique in the history of the 120-year-old pool. The closure was ordered by the Free State from November to June. The reason why it stayed closed after that is simple: lack of staff.
You have to explain that to us.
When it was announced in May that the outdoor pools were allowed to reopen, we had difficulties finding enough staff at short notice. The open-air swimming pools are usually run with a large number of seasonal workers, lifeguards, cashiers and cleaning staff, who only come along every year for the summer months. This year everything was different.
How different?
In the Michaelibad, for example, where I was previously the site manager, in addition to the 18 permanent employees, twelve seasonal workers are usually brought in every summer. Only two came this year.
Gastronomy has the same problem. What is the?
The great uncertainty makes many hesitate. And who can blame them? Even though we didn’t know whether we would even be able to open in summer, we advertised seasonal positions in February and March. But unfortunately we had to put off the applicants for the time being. We were on the ropes ourselves and didn’t know when we were allowed to open. The wait was too unsafe for many, and they went somewhere else where they had a secure source of income.
And how does that depend with the closure of the Müller’schen Volksbad?
The municipal utilities that operate the municipal baths had to bite the bullet and distribute the staff of the indoor pools to the outdoor pools. And even when the indoor pools in Bavaria were allowed to open in June, some in Munich had to remain closed, as in 2020. Above all, the pools without an outdoor area were selected as long as the outdoor pool season is running – the Müller’sche Volksbad, Bad Forstenrieder Park and the indoor areas of the Michaelibad and the Westbad.
On September 14th you will finally open again. Do the guests of the Volksbad expect innovations?
I can reassure you: there is nothing new. And that’s just as well. With us, the old is what makes all the beauty. Our guests appreciate exactly that. The Müller’sche Volksbad is a real institution in Munich. And as a boss you are also a monument conservator and museum caretaker here. The colleagues, who are now all still scattered around the other pools, also feel very connected to the Müller’schen Volksbad. We are already counting the days until it finally starts again.
Operations center manager Erich Kühberger is looking forward to welcoming guests to the pool again from September 14th.
(Photo: SWMH)
Has the bathroom just been silent all these months?
Of course we used the time for all kinds of repair work. The basins were emptied and cleaned, some tiles and joints repaired. The bathroom will open again in perfect condition. Now we only hope that our guests will also come back.
Who usually comes?
Tourists, students, local residents. But of course regular guests too. They are simply part of the bathroom. Before Corona there was a group of seniors who sometimes met before the door opened at 7.30 a.m. to chat. Many came every day. For them, swimming was the only way to move. Especially the elderly, with osteoarthritis, for example, could not switch to jogging. I am just meeting some of them again in the Prinzregentenbad, where I am at the moment, everyone knows and says hello. They also tell me how much they look forward to the beautiful architecture and ambience in the Müller’schen Volksbad. We’re not just a normal bathroom.
From this Thursday on, the corona rules in swimming pools will change: There is no need to make reservations because more people are allowed to enter again. However, the 3G rule applies to all visitors. Attractions such as water mushrooms or the wave in Cosimabad are put back into operation. Steam baths and organic saunas can also be offered, the infusions continue to be without fronds.