They call it "little Croatia". It has just reopened

One of the most popular municipal swimming pools in Krakow, located in Zakrzówek Park, will start this year's swimming season on Thursday, which will last until September 7. Visitors will have five pools at their disposal. Admission will remain free, but a limit has been set on the number of people staying.

Zakrzówek Park and its swimming pool have been operating since June 2023. The city investment was made on a 60-hectare area of ​​former quarry excavations and cost nearly PLN 60 million . Since its opening, the swimming pool has enjoyed great popularity among Krakow residents and tourists, and in high season, long queues form in front of the entrance.

Zakrzówek/photo: Shutterstock

The facility manager, the Sports Infrastructure Management, has prepared five pools of varying depths for this year's season, which will run from June 19 to September 7. The pools offer swimming opportunities for people with varying swimming skills, including the youngest. The facility is adapted to the needs of people with disabilities.

As announced, in the 2025 season, there will be no entry fees to the swimming pool in Zakrzówek Park. However, similarly to last year, wristbands will be issued to determine the number of people staying on the premises. The limit for people staying on the jetties at the same time has been set at 600.

The director of ZIS, Tomasz Marzec, announced that as part of the preparations for this year's season, the facility manager has introduced several organizational and technical changes aimed at improving the comfort and safety of people using the bathing area and protecting areas of valuable natural value. The needs reported by previous users of the complex have also been taken into account.

This season, the opening hours of the swimming pool will be extended. Monday will remain a technical day, but work will be completed by 2:00 p.m. This will make the facility accessible on that day as well - from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. On other days of the week, the swimming pool will be open from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., which is two hours longer than before (in previous years, the swimming pool was open from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.).

Sanitary zones have been designated and are located: in the immediate vicinity of the entrance to the swimming pool, in the public area and in the vicinity of the Water Sports Centre building (located in the area of ​​ul. Wyłom). Toilets and external sinks are available in these zones.

The scope of protective measures has been expanded to include additional operations using drones. The new technical solution - indicated the ZIS representative - will enable more effective monitoring of the bathing area and adjacent areas, and will also increase the level of safety for people using the reservoir.

Rescue services will be provided at the bathing area during opening hours. To increase the safety of people staying in the area of ​​the Water Sports Center, an additional rescue patrol will be launched.

The second large municipal swimming pool in Krakow is at Bagry . It will be open daily, from June 19 to September 7, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Another swimming pool covers water reservoir no. 1 in Przylasek Rusiecki - it is open from June 16 to the end of August, daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.