The Erzsébetliget Swimming Pool has been handed over28 January 2008
Sándor Burány, State Secretary of the Prime Minister’s Office, said that the development also housing the Erzsébetliget Theatre (Elisabeth Park Theatre) that has been carried out in the 16th district of Budapest is a state-the-art development, since it received the highest rate of EU funding in the Central Hungary region during the 2004-2006 period. The project costing 2.4 billion HUF received 890 million HUF of EU funding, 1.1 billion HUF of own funds from the local government, as well as state aid to the value of 407 million HUF.
It took 14 months to complete the facility, which was constructed as a part of a comprehensive 2.4 billion HUF reconstruction programme; approximately 40% of the total costs of the project was funding by the EU. Several Olympic champions also attended the opening ceremony; Krisztina Egerszegi, five-time Olympic champion, cut the ribbon.
In his opening speech, Péter Kovács, mayor of the 16th district, highlighted how the decades-long dream of the citizens of the district has finally come true by completing the construction of the swimming pool facility, since up till now there was no place to go swimming in the district.
The facility has been equipped with a solar heating system and was constructed on the basis of the plans of the Ybl Award winning architect, György Koczor. In addition to the 5-lane 25-meter pool and the 13.5m x 6m heated children’s swimming pool, there are also 2 saunas and one spa located on the first floor. Fitness and body building facilities, as well as a massage parlour, solarium, hairdressing and beauty salon, snack bar and sports boutique are open to guests on the ground floor.
The local government is holding an open-day in the Erzsébetliget Swimming Pool today, on which occasion citizens of the district that booked in advance may use the 25-meter swimming pool free of charge; the facility will operate at full capacity from Sunday on. The adult ticket valid for 2 and half hours costs 1300 HUF, whilst the student and pensioner ticket costs 800 HUF.