"We would like to give the residents of Wroclaw a safe and free bathing beach in the area which previously was hardly suitable for the purpose," says Piotr Mazur, Head of the Sports, Tourism and Leisure Bureau at the Wroclaw City Office. "We have carried out water quality tests and they turned out positive, so we have a green light to start works on the facilities," adds Mr Mazur.
As part of the necessary works, the shore will be cleaned, the adjacent area tidied up and fenced and parking places provided. The beach will be ca 80x20 metres in size, and around 3 thousand tonnes of sand are necessary to create it. "Additionally, sanitary facilities and dressing rooms will be created, and we also have to provide trained life guards who will be equipped with all the necessary rescue and emergency gear." The beach will be provided with towers for life guards, waste receptacles and other street furniture. "A barbecue area will be marked in the vicinity of ul Narzędziowa to provide five barbecue stands as well as suitable seats and rubbish bins," mentions Piotr Mazur.
The bathing beach in ul Królewiecka is the first project in Wroclaw to provide suitable facilities in a hitherto illegal swimming area. "We have listed all such water basins and if the idea to convert the Królewiecka area works out, we will give a go ahead to other locations," says Mr Mazur. "Despite large interest in previous years, the new beach may discourage some people with regulations and life guards, but both these were put in place for safety reasons."
The cost of the beach development is estimated at 100 thousand PLN. The maintenance costs during the summer season are going to reach 40-50 thousand PLN per month, which gives a total of 150 thousand PLN for the entire season.
The areas to develop new bathing beaches in Wroclaw include locations in ul Żmigrodzka, Przybyły (off ul Graniczna) and in Pawłowice.
Four summer swimming areas operate in Wroclaw: Glinianki and Morskie Oko, both in natural water basins, and two swimming pools such as Kłokoczyce and Orbita. Apart from these, the residents of Wroclaw may use eight swimming pools in primary schools (ul Bobrza SP-3, Wieczysta SP-17, Poznańska SP-18, Obornicka SP-50, Ścinawska SP-46, Trwała SSP-72, Zemska ZSP-1, Brücknera ZS-14), whose head teachers may let them to outside users, as well as Aquapark, where an outdoor pool is being currently developed. Additionally, there are ten other other swimming pools operated by: AWF, Klub Środowiskowy AZS, Centrum Basenowo-Sportowe REDECO in ul Rogowska and REDECO in ul Strzegomska; Uniwversity of Life Sciences, General Tadeusz Kościuszko Military Academy of Land Forces, University of Economic (an indoor swimming pool), Wrocławskie Centrum SPA Sp. z o.o., Hotel Wroclaw and Quality System Hotel.
