Margaret Island Budapest boasts one of the most famous sports swimming complexes of Eastern Europe, the Hajos Alfred Swimming Pool Complex. If you like water, water sports, proper sports swimming in laps, or poolside sunbathing, it is well worth visiting the Swimming Pool, not only for its professional complexity, but also for its sports history.
With its World Cup winner Hungarian teams the place is memorable as the highlight of Hungarian Sports History, proving that the national sport of Hungary is a quirky sport rather than football. Did you guess it? Yes, it is indeed water polo.
Opening hours:
Weekdays: 6 am- 4 pm
Weekends: 6 am-5 pm
The swimming complex is Hungary’s first indoor swimming pool, the main venue for domestic and international water sports events like swimming, water polo, synchronised swimming, triathlon etc. The swimming pool is also a beloved place of locals during the summer months, as the facilities are open to the public (and those who prefer serious lap swimming over the lido pools of Palatinus Baths on Margaret Island, will opt for Hajos Swimming Pool).
The huge facility has four floors and eight pools for training, diving, and competitive swimming pools including the National Sports Pool, where the Olympic swimming and water-polo teams train. You can even watch water-polo league at the weekends.
The 80 000 square meters large complex awaits everyone who would like to watch some pieces of training or enjoy the pools, saunas etc.
Hajos Alfred – Who was Alfred Hajos?
The complex is named after Alfred Hajos (1878-1955) who was the first Olympic swimming champion of Hungary a talented football player and architect. No other swimmer ever won such a high fraction of all Olympic events at a single Games.
He has entered the art competition at the Paris Olympic Games along with Lauber Dezső in 1924, with an architect specializing in sports facilities. His plan for a stadium was awarded a silver medal (that time the jury did not award gold medals).
Thus making him one of only two Olympians ever to have won medals in both sport and art Olympic competitions.
The sports complex was built in 1930 and designed by Alfréd Hajós. Hajós Alfréd Swimming Complex hosted for Aquatics Championships (in 1958, 2006, 2010 etc). The complex is the center of Hungarian watersports.
The facility was last renovated before the European Swimming Championships in 2006 when a new 50-metre swimming pool and a diving pool were added to the complex – this new section was named after Tamás Széchy.
Visiting the Hajós Alfréd Swimming Complex can be a good family fun or an active relaxation in the Margaret Island, the green heart of Budapest. Enjoy a lovely summer day next to the pools and get some tan.