The Českobudějovice swimming stadium has become a cultural monument

České Budějovice - The Ministry of Culture declared the swimming stadium in České Budějovice a cultural monument. The same status was granted to the statue of the resting swimmer, which stands in front of the pool. This was stated in a press release by Eva Neprašová from the National Heritage Institute in České Budějovice. The swimming stadium was designed by architect Bohumil Böhm and the complex was opened in 1971.

"The uniqueness of the hall lies in its technically demanding construction of a suspended cable roof, which has the shape of a hyperbolic paraboloid. The use of such a structure was globally relevant in 1958 when the swimming stadium was designed," said Eva Erbanová from the National Heritage Institute.

The first roof of this kind in the world was created as part of a multipurpose hall at the turn of 1952 and 1953 in North Carolina, USA. However, Böhm's design does not represent a mere copy of the original. According to heritage experts, the Czech architect transformed the American version and shaped the roof into a continuous ring. "During its construction, the swimming pool became of interest to the International Academy for Swimming (IAB), which requested materials for its publication in its professional journal Sport+Bäderbauten and in the book Bäder," added Erbanová.

For the České Budějovice municipal office, which owns the swimming pool, nothing changes now that the building has become a cultural monument. "We have always approached the stadium as a unique structure, regardless of whether it had this status yet," said František Konečný (ANO), the deputy mayor of České Budějovice, to ČTK. According to him, the pool represents one of the symbols of the city. "That building is absolutely unique and timeless," he stated.