Deutz-Kalker Bad
A 1913 Art Nouveau indoor pool in Cologne's Deutz district, now a listed heritage hotel with a restaurant set in the former swimming hall.
In the Cologne district of Deutz stands a former indoor swimming pool dating from 1913, which served as a public bathhouse until 1996 and is now a listed heritage hotel. A restaurant has made its home in the former swimming hall.
Source: Wikipedia
At a Glance
- Type
- Former indoor swimming pool, now hotel with restaurant
- Year built
- 1913
- Style
- Art Nouveau (Jugendstil)
- Location
- Deutz district, Inner City borough
- Pool
- 20-metre pool with three lanes
- Open for swimming
- until 1996
- Status
- Listed monument in North Rhine-Westphalia
When the Rheinpark thermal bath burned down in 1986, the thermal water was transported by tanker trucks to the Deutz-Kalker Bad, which served as an emergency substitute for the destroyed facility.
Age comparison
Age compared with other places in Cologne.
History
Originally known as the "Kaiser-Wilhelm-Bad", the building opened in 1914 and initially served the Deutz Cuirassiers as a military bathhouse until 1918. After World War I it was opened to the general public, before being partially destroyed in World War II. In 1947 the remaining rubble was cleared from the pool and swimming resumed — at the time, only the Neptunbad was also still operating in Cologne alongside the Deutz-Kalker Bad.
Operations and Notable Visitors
Despite its modest single pool, the swimming club SV Rhenania Köln held training sessions here until 1961. Regular guests included boxers Peter Müller and Jupp Elze, as well as local entertainer Hans Süper. After the thermal bath in the Rheinpark burned down in 1986, its thermal water was transported here by tanker truck. The opening of the Claudius-Therme in 1996 ended operations and the pool was drained.
Today
From 2008, the building was converted into a hotel at a cost of around eleven million euros. At the insistence of the heritage authority, the stucco ceilings at the entrance and the tiled reception room were preserved. The architect describes the design as inspired by the building's historic silhouette rather than a literal reconstruction. The hotel opened on 1 May 2010 and has traded under its own name, Hotel Stadtpalais, since 2015. In autumn 2019, a restaurant opened in the former swimming hall, its floor sitting at the level of the old waterline.
Did You Know?
Until the end of 2012, "Deutz-Kalker Bad" was still the name of a KVB tram stop, which was subsequently renamed "Deutz Technische Hochschule".
Timeline
- 1913Construction of the indoor swimming pool in Cologne-Deutz
- 1914Opened as 'Kaiser-Wilhelm-Bad', military bathhouse for the Deutz Cuirassiers
- 1947Rubble cleared from the pool, bathing operations resumed after WWII
- 1961Swimming club SV Rhenania Cologne ends its training operations at the bath
- 1986Thermal water delivered by tanker truck after the Rheinpark thermal bath burned down
- 1996Operations ceased following the opening of Claudius-Therme, pool drained
- 2008Conversion of the former bath into a hotel begun for around eleven million euros
- 2010'Günnewig Hotel Stadtpalais' opened on 1 May
Map
Blue dots: other places nearby — tap to explore.
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Auto-generated, last verified: 2026-06-26