From the Early Days of the Outdoor Pool
On August 6, 1965, the first event took place at the new Fürstenfeld outdoor pool: although not yet officially opened, the pool hosted the Österreichische Staatsmeisterschaft in platform diving. More than 1,000 visitors came to the outdoor pool grounds. On May 21, 1966, a Saturday, the outdoor pool was then finally opened. Years of planning work, the selection of the appropriate site, and the difficulties of financing the large construction project had thus come to an end. What was still missing at the time were the pool regulations, which still had to be passed by the Gemeinderat. Eventually, agreement was reached on pool regulations comprising 24 points. Three points of the draft had previously been struck out: "The provision that only swimsuits made of colorless or colorfast fabric could be worn, the use of swimming mattresses as swimming aids, and the use of radios at the pool." The pool fees at the time: eight Schilling for an adult day ticket, three Schilling for a children's day ticket, 200 Schilling for an adult season ticket, and 50 Schilling for a children's season ticket.
For the first official day of swimming, Stadtamtsdirektor Müller noted in his chronicle: "The first day of swimming on May 21, 1966 was not too favorable in terms of weather, but attendance was already pleasing. The following Sunday, however, the weather was such that many people eager to swim and sunbathe went to the pool and were able to convince themselves both of the quality of the water and of the beautiful, modern, and clean facility. But many curious onlookers and spectators were also noted. A good start had thus been made."
The construction costs for the pool had originally been estimated at three million Schilling, but ultimately amounted to around 15 million Schilling. On May 26, the outdoor pool was presented to the press, and on July 9 and 10 the first major event took place in the form of an international competition Österreich – Schweden – Polen – Rumänien in springboard and platform diving. This was also, at the same time, the official opening. On July 31, 1966, the Steirische Schwimmmeisterschaften were held at the outdoor pool. On August 23 and 24, the Österreichische Polizeimeisterschaften in lifesaving swimming followed.
The outdoor pool itself developed extremely positively in its first season: up to and including August 15, 1966, 450,000 pool visitors were counted. July 3 was the record day with 8,500 people. For tourism, this development was reflected in rising overnight stay numbers. In July 1966, overnight stays rose by 40% compared to July 1965.
