Ljubljana unveils new swimming complex with Olympic and indoor pools
A new public swimming complex has opened on the eastern outskirts of Ljubljana, featuring an outdoor Olympic-size pool and an indoor 25-metre pool, alongside a range of sports and leisure amenities, CE Report quotes The Slovenia Times.
Located in the Vevče borough, the complex was built on the site of a popular pool built by an adjacent paper mill on the banks of the Ljubljanica in the 1970s. The original pool shut down in 2007.
The renovated venue includes a multifunctional indoor sports hall, a wellness area with Finnish, Turkish and infrared saunas, relaxation spaces, and a café with a terrace.
Outside, the complex offers a 50-metre pool, a children's splash zone, a smaller pool, beach volleyball courts, table tennis facilities, a playground, and a landscaped riverbank along the Ljubljanica.
The indoor pool features an adjustable floor, making it suitable for various training and therapy purposes.
The Vevče complex was inaugurated with a ceremony on 20 July during which both Ljubljana Mayor Zoran Janković and Prime Minister Robert Golob took a dip, along with swimmer Neža Klančar.
Janković expects the facility to become a community hub, while Golob said public sports facilities like Vevče enable all generations to engage with sport and live values such as physical exercise, solidarity, team spirit and fair play.
He said Slovenia's strong performance in international sport was partly due to consistent public investment in sports infrastructure.
The main contract for construction of complex was worth just over €19 million, but the municipality, which has acquired EU and state co-funding for the investment, has not yet revealed the final price tag. Renovation started in 2018.
Vevče opened four months after the inauguration of the Ilirija swimming complex and almost ten years after the launch of the renovated Kolezija pool. Along with Kodeljevo, Ljubljana now has four Olympic-size pools, three of which are outdoor pools.
Around 8 kilometres from the city centre, Vevče can be reached by bus number 27, bicycle or car. Day ticket for the pool for adults comes at €11 during the week and €14 on weekends and holidays.
