The sensitively restored municipal swimming pool in Litomyšl is one of the best-preserved sport and recreation projects from the interwar period in the Czech Republic. Located in place of the former Žaboškrt pond, it was designed by the Prague Functionalist architect Václav Kolátor, who specialized in buildings for swimming sports, in cooperation with the Litomyšl engineer Karel Krix.
As was the case with his previous swimming pool projects, Kolátor designed a modern and practical complex with a pool fulfilling criteria for swimming competitions. His architectural conception combines elements of sober “Scientific Functionalism” (the “severe” wooden block of the entrance building with changing rooms and restaurant) with elements of “emotional” Functionalism, expressed in the graceful, organic and elegant curves of the slide.
Construction work on the swimming pool was interrupted by the Second World War in 1941. Work resumed as part of the post-war two-year plan with the participation of the local Guild for Aesthetics, which turned to Prague architect Josef Kumpán, an expert in park landscaping, for landscape designs for the grounds. The complex opened on the 20th of August 1948, by which time however, only the swimming pool had been finished. The changing rooms and landscaping work were finished during the following three years. In August 1952, the national swimming championships took place here, and again in 1954 and 1956.
By 1989, the swimming pool was in poor condition as the pool itself was leaking and required a thorough reconstruction. A sensitive restoration project thoroughly respecting Kolátor's original “First-Republic” design and its whimsical summer atmosphere was carried out by Brno-based architects Petr Hrůša and Petr Pelčák in 1993. New amenities added to the grounds included a children's pool with a toboggan, a water treatment plant and a toilet and shower block. The latter was incorporated into the terrain in such a way so as not to disrupt the “First-Republic” look or compete with Kolátor's changing rooms. Therefore, in place of a traditional facade facing the pool, the architects designed horizontal wooden sunbathing frames, acting as a grandstand during competitions.
AŠ
