In his­to­rical ambi­ence, visi­tors to the Nordbad can enjoy a 16 by 8 meter swim­ming pool with adjus­table bottom for regu­la­ting the water depth, which is often used for dif­fe­rent courses. In the well­ness area there are also dif­fe­rent saunas and pools. The oldest swim­ming hall in the city (opened in 1895) is “hidden” in a backyard in the middle of Dresden’s Neu­stadt. In the first years the ladies and gen­tlemen shared the pool by the day. Above all, however, it was the 22 bath­tubs that were actively used for per­sonal hygiene. In the decades that fol­lowed, the pool was rebuilt and extended several times. Alt­hough it remained unsca­thed during the Second World War and sub­se­quently resumed its ope­ra­tion, the Nordbad was closed at several stages from the 1970s onwards. A citi­zens’ initia­tive achieved an exten­sive rede­sign and in 1996 the reope­ning of the listed building.