Berlin: Protest Against 101-Year Spree River Swimming Ban

In Berlin, the capital of Germany, a demonstration was held with the aim of lifting the swimming ban that has been in effect for 101 years in the Spree River.

At the call of the Flussbad Berlin Association, many people gathered in Schinkel Square near the river, demanding the lifting of the swimming ban in the Spree River.

Demonstrators who wanted the Spree River to be opened to swimmers carried placards that read "Let's swim like in Paris" and "Swim in Berlin's river now".

The activists planned to enter the Spree River as a protest. However, this plan was canceled due to the decrease in water quality caused by recent rainfall.

The demonstration was also attended by Elip Eralp, who is a candidate for state premier from the Left Party in the state parliament elections to be held in Berlin on September 20, and representatives of other parties.

In their speeches, the representatives of the parties stated that they were in favor of allowing swimming in the Spree River.

Jan Edler, President of the Flussbad Berlin Association, stated that Berlin has a great resource in terms of water and that the city is becoming increasingly hot. Edler said, "In the context of climate change, we believe that people being able to cool off here is part of the quality of life."

Edler stated that this resource exists for free and should be used.

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Edler, who stated that Berlin was a pioneering city in river swimming in the past, said, "This idea actually dates back a long time, and many people used to take Berlin as an example. Now it must be said that Berlin has fallen behind."

Edler, who stated that people have been swimming in the river in Paris since last year after the Olympic Games, cited Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, and rivers in Switzerland as examples.

Edler stated that he believes swimming will be allowed in the Spree River in the near future. He stated that the water quality has been proven to be good, but old rules are still being invoked.

Edler, emphasizing that Berlin is growing and that such open spaces are needed in the city, said, "We must learn to use these. This is a necessity of today's conditions. Therefore, I absolutely believe that this will happen. That is why we are carrying out this action here with all our supporters, and we hope it will be successful."

Swimming in the Spree River was banned on May 20, 1925, on the grounds that the water was polluted and would be dangerous for human health.

The Flussbad Berlin Association argues that the water quality in the river is now good for most of the year. The association demands that some parts of the river be opened for swimming as a pilot project and that the number of such places be increased later.

The Berlin state government, however, argues that there is no reason to lift the swimming ban in the Spree River. It states that water quality can rapidly deteriorate after heavy rainfall.