Bregtalbad

The Bregtalbad is the outdoor swimming bath of Furtwangen in the Black Forest, and since 2011 it has been kept going by its own supporters' association rather than by the town alone.

The bathing itself is straightforward and aimed squarely at families. The main basin is a solar-heated 50-metre pool with a partitioned non-swimmer section and a slide, so lane swimming and splashing share the same body of water. A fenced-off toddler area alongside has its own paddling pool with a water channel to play in, a water hedgehog and three spray bars, and is shaded, with loungers set out beside it. A kiosk with a seating lounge handles food and drink. There is no sauna, no indoor hall and no thermal water: the pool is heated by the sun, which is also why the association publishes a live water-temperature reading and, since a recent upgrade, shows the children's pool separately from the main basin.

In season the bath is open daily from 10:00 to 19:00, with a bad-weather timetable of 10:00 to 13:00 and 16:30 to 19:00 when conditions are poor; longer cold spells are announced in the local paper and on the association's website.