The public pool in one of Luxembourg’s most renowned tourist destinations may remain closed if the government does not intervene and provide the municipality of Vianden with substantial financial support.
According to Vianden mayor Claude Tonino, the pool is more than just a local attraction, it is a regional infrastructure from which the entire country can benefit. It closed in September three years ago and has remained shut ever since.
Some 10 million euros would need to be invested simply in order to bring the pool up to standard, as it requires extensive work to seal the basins, fix the heating and ensure all safety requirements can be met.
However, this investment would only see the pool reach the same standards of 50 years ago, says Tonino, which would not make sense.
The municipality is proposing to convert the premises into a sustainable and modern swimming pool, which could be open longer than just 3 months a year. The infrastructure for this plan would cost between 15 and 16 million euros, however, with plans to build larger slides from the upper level, and renovate the existing Olympic-size sports pool to offer capacity for races and competitions. Tonino also outlined plans to add a climbing wall, diving platforms and more.
Vianden council has reached out to the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Sports for financial assistance, as the municipal funding has already been allocated to projects such as a sewage treatment plant, a childcare facility, medical centre and cable car repairs. “We hope the ministries can offer us a proposal for the swimming pool as we cannot handle it alone,” explains Tonino.
In response to RTL’s questions, the Ministry of Sports confirmed an extraordinary subsidy would be allocated to the municipality of Vianden, but that they could not yet clarify the amount as the latest law on the five-year-plan was still being finalised.
The tourism general directorate would cover a maximum of 50% of the subsidy, but their plan does not foresee any more allocations for a swimming pool.
The municipal council does not view this as sufficient. Tonino believes the costs of planning and operating the new pool infrastructure would come to around 900,000 euros per year – a sum which is simply not feasible for a small municipality such as Vianden to cover without help.