Ehrwald opens first pool backed by Tyrol’s new fund
Saturday 14th November 2026 on 18:45 in
Austria
Ehrwald’s fully renovated family swimming pool was officially opened on Saturday after a year of construction, becoming the first facility to receive support from the Tyrol state swimming pool fund, ORF reported.
The renovation cost about 12 million euros, shared equally by the municipality of Ehrwald and the Tiroler Zugspitz Arena tourism association. The pool fund contributed about 3.6 million euros, all of which went to the municipality, leaving it with 2.4 million euros to pay. The tourism association waived its share of the subsidy, according to its chairman, Theo Zoller.
Zoller said the pool would strengthen the Tiroler Zugspitz Arena as a place to live and visit. Ehrwald Mayor Markus Köck also called it a benefit for the municipality and the wider region, saying the state funding had helped secure the pool’s future.
Tyrol plans to make 75 million euros available for swimming pools across the state by 2030: 50 million euros for construction and renovation, and 25 million euros for operating costs. Projects that improve swimming provision across an entire region will be given priority, according to the state.
Governor Anton Mattle called the fund a first-of-its-kind initiative in Austria. He said swimming was a basic sport in Tyrol and that children and families needed nearby pools to learn to swim. Sports councillor Philip Wohlgemuth said the fund was intended to support places where facilities were lacking or needed improvement.
The indoor pool first opened in 1976 and closed in 2023. Its baby, children’s, 25-metre sports and leisure pools were retained during the 2025-26 renovation. The bathing area, changing rooms, sanitary facilities and bistro were refurbished, and the entrance and parts of the facade were modernised. A pool lift will help wheelchair users enter and leave the water.
The work also added a beach volleyball court to the outdoor grounds and included a 1,750-kilowatt pellet heating system. A solar installation supplies the pool, the Zugspitzsaal and the climbing hall. The renovated pool will open to visitors daily from 1pm to 8.30pm starting Sunday.