"There are said to be 160 pools in Iceland. With a population of just over 400,000, this means one for every 2,500 people. Just as well, as swimming is so ingrained in the national psyche. This is a fairly recent phenomenon: in 1940 swimming lessons became mandatory for schoolchildren in response to drownings that were the result of previous poor competency."
"As well as the obvious physical benefits of swimming, there are mental gains, too, through the sense of community that pools provide: You meet lots of different people, from farmers to politicians, Helgason says. Many pools have hot pots (hot tubs) a nod to the country's natural springs, which are also popular for a wilder dip and cold plunges for cold-water therapy, along with saunas. No phones are allowed."
Iceland has about 160 public swimming pools, roughly one per 2,500 people, making swimming widely accessible. Mandatory school swimming lessons were introduced in 1940 to address fatal drownings and improve competency. Reykjavik contains 18 pools and unlimited annual access can cost about 4,000 krona. Most pools are outdoors and geothermally heated, lowering costs and enabling frequent use. Pools act as communal spaces, offering hot pots, saunas and cold plunges alongside swimming. Phone use is commonly prohibited in facilities. A campaign seeks Unesco cultural heritage recognition for the country’s pool culture.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]