Aqualand
Leisure pool in Cologne-Chorweiler featuring nine water slides, eleven saunas, and an adjoining fitness centre.
since 1991
Aqualand is a leisure pool complex in the Cologne district of Chorweiler. Under one roof, it combines a water world, a sauna world, and a fitness area.
At a Glance
- Type
- Leisure pool with sauna and fitness facilities
- Location
- Merianstraße, Cologne-Chorweiler
- Opened
- 1991
- Water slides
- nine
- Saunas
- eleven, ranging from 65 °C to 100 °C
- Areas
- Water world, sauna world, gym with physiotherapy
- Mascot
- a blue octopus named Paulchen
The Aqualand was founded in 1991 by Georg Theune, a former insurance executive, who sold it again shortly after – famously quoting: "The fun pool wasn't fun for us."
Things to do here
- Whoosh down nine water slides
- Swim and splash in indoor and outdoor pools
- Explore the kids' areas with their own slides
- Unwind in eleven saunas, steam baths and the hamam
- Relax in the whirlpool and at the Kneipp facility
- Soak up the sun on the lawn when the weather's nice
Age comparison
Age compared with other places in Cologne.
History
Aqualand was built in 1991 by entrepreneur Georg Theune, a former board chairman of a Düsseldorf insurance company, on the eastern edge of Chorweiler. Weekends drew up to 2,000 visitors a day, but footfall was uneven and the site only reached its potential at weekends. Theune's company quickly lost interest and sold up — he summed it up with the remark "The fun pool gave us no fun at all." The company went on to develop Cologne's Neptunbad and the Claudius-Therme instead. By 1992, Aqualand had passed to Heinz Steinhart. The Steinhart family has run it across two and three generations and also operates the leisure pools Kristall Palm Beach in Stein and Miramar in Weinheim. In 2006, artist Carsten Kruse designed the colourful facade.
Water World
The water world offers several indoor and outdoor pools, nine water slides, whirlpools, and two children's zones with their own slides, plus an on-site restaurant. In fine weather, guests can also enjoy an outdoor area with trees, a sunbathing lawn, and two open-air pools.
Sauna World
Eleven indoor and outdoor saunas range from a mild 65 °C up to 100 °C. The sauna area also includes two steam baths, a hammam, two plunge pools, a whirlpool, a Kneipp facility, and a second restaurant, along with its own outdoor terrace.
Fitness and Physiotherapy
Attached to Aqualand are a fully equipped gym and a physiotherapy practice.
Timeline
- 1991Aqualand leisure pool opened by entrepreneur Georg Theune
- 1992Pool sold to Heinz Steinhart
- 2006New facade colour design by artist Carsten Kruse
Map
Blue dots: other places nearby — tap to explore.
Address
Merianstraße 1
50765 Köln
Hours
Mo: 09:30–23:00
Di: 09:30–23:00
Mi: 09:30–23:00
Do: 09:30–23:00
Fr: 09:30–00:00
Sa: 09:00–00:00
So: 09:00–23:00
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Sources & links
- Official website
- Official Instagram (@aqualandkoeln)
- Wikidata (retrieved 2026-06-24)
- Wikipedia (retrieved 2026-06-24, rev 266073088)
- Official website (retrieved 2026-06-24)
Auto-generated, last verified: 2026-06-26
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