At the time of its construction, the Delfín swimming pool in Bratislava's Ružinov district was one of the most architecturally valuable and popular recreational facilities in the city. The swimming pool area was built as part of the completion of the amenities of the neighbouring residential units. The architect of the swimming pool, Karol Paluš, was the co-author of the apartment buildings on Miletičova Street and also the author of five 12-storey apartment towers in Ružova dolina. His design of the Delfín swimming pool thus completed the development of this locality. In the individual phases of the construction one can also notice a shift in the author's approach. When designing the swimming pool, he was already guided by modernist principles.
For the location of the outdoor fifty-metre pool, Paluš used the natural depression in height and the swimming pool building itself with the indoor pool was recessed into the ground. The indoor part also included changing rooms for 2,000 guests, bath and steam baths, a relaxation room, a restaurant and the first ever Finnish sauna in Bratislava for 60 people. The roof of the building served as an open terrace for sunbathing and for outdoor seating of the buffet and restaurant. The outdoor swimming pool was complemented by a children's wading pool and the original design also included two volleyball courts. From the exterior, the roof terrace is accessed by an accentuating monolithic spiral staircase. A large-scale abstract mosaic completes the street façade. The current form of the swimming pool carries a series of inappropriate interventions in the original architecture
Bibliography:
KRIVOŠOVÁ, Janka - LUKÁČOVÁ, Elena. Premeny súčasnej architektúry Slovenska. Bratislava: Alfa, 1990, p. 141. ISBN 8005006004.
