What Aquapark Fala in Łódź has to offer

Aquapark Fala has been operating at al. Unii Lubelskiej 4 since 31 January 2008 and is one of the largest swimming pool complexes in Łódź. Over the years the venue has been extended with further zones: a sports pool, a year-round outdoor pool, a spa area with jacuzzis, and a beach for naturists, the largest of its kind in central Poland.

The pool zone

Inside the complex there are pools with slides of varying difficulty and a water playground with an octopus, designed with the youngest visitors in mind. Outside there is a heated outflow pool, open all year round, and colourful slides called MegaZjeżdżalnie. Swimmers can go straight from the indoor pool hall to the outdoor section, which means it is possible to bathe outdoors even in autumn and winter.

The spa zone has jacuzzis along with relaxation treatments and massages. Visitors who want to exercise in the water can join the AquaFitness programme, which includes Aqua Bike sessions (water exercise bikes that ease pressure on the joints and support circulation), Aqua Aerobic and Aqua Senior, classes adapted for older people. AquaFitness classes require a prior booking, worth confirming at the ticket desk or on the aquapark's website before a visit.

The naturist beach

One of Fala's characteristic attractions is a naturist beach covering around 1,000 m2, covered in white sand and fitted with sun loungers and parasols. The area is fenced off from the rest of the complex and has no cameras, and only adults may enter, after buying an additional one-off admission to the zone. Phones and any other devices that can record images or sound are not allowed on the beach.

The beach refers back to the history of the place: in the 1970s the old Fala was a popular haven for naturists, and twice a year it hosted the "Night of Naturists", an event that drew as many as a thousand participants. The tradition continues today: the aquapark regularly organises themed events referring to this history, so it is worth checking the venue's event calendar for the next date.

History: from a PRL-era bathing site to a modern aquapark

Although the current Fala building opened in 2008, the history of the site goes back to the 1970s. The decision to build a bathing site in Łódź's Zdrowie district was taken in the 1970s, and the investment was carried out through the joint effort of local residents, workplaces and the army. The venue was officially opened on 19 June 1976. It had a water treatment station, a 50-metre olympic pool, two smaller pools measuring 30 by 40 metres, and the smallest one, 18 metres long, as well as a paddling pool for children with a carousel and a sunbathing terrace. At its peak the bathing site could accommodate up to 7,000 people at once, and it hosted the "Miss Summer" and "Miss Nature" contests that were popular at the time, the latter held on the naturist beach.

In the 1990s the venue began to deteriorate, mainly due to construction faults made back in the 1970s, and it was closed in 1992. The decision to build a modern aquapark on the site was finally taken in 2005, when the city authorities chose the Slovenian company Makro 5 to carry out the work. That is how today's Fala came into being.