Die Swembadgeskiedenis Van Bloemfontein

Abstract

The history of swimming baths in Bloemfontein:
After Bloemfontein was established in 1846 the spruit (later known as Bloemspruit) which
runs through the town and the dams which formed in it were the swimming pools of the
inhabitants. In the mid-1860s a very large dam was built south of the town, which was used
for many years for bathing, washing and as an outspan. At the beginning of the 1890s
Bloemfontein experienced a radical change when not only two noteworthy mentioning dams
were built, but also the first actual swimming bath, which was privately owned. Bathingcostumes hardly existed at that stage, but with time they developed into fashion items. The huge development Bloemfontein experienced after the Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902) forced the Town Council to build the first municipal or public swimming bath, which was opened in 1907. Initially it was closed in. At that stage mixed bathing was not allowed, and for several years was a heated point of debate until the Town Council finally approved of it in general in 1913. At a later stage this swimming bath was named after the well-known swimming coach Arthur Nathan.

Keywords: Bloemfontein, swimming bath, Arthur Nathan.

South Africa Journal of Cultural History Vol. 21 (1) 2007: pp. 57-71