Guldkroksbadet - outdoor pool

4.4 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

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Heated pools right in the harbour

The free bathing area in the middle of Hjo is a perfect destination for the whole family, where you can swim in a heated outdoor pool or take a dip directly in Lake Vättern from the adjoining sandy beach. There is also a paddling pool and a playground for younger children.

When is the bathing area open during the season?

Guldkroksbadet is currently closed but will reopen soon – 13 June.

What does it cost?

Free entry
Anyone who wishes may pay a voluntary fee via Swish. Information on how to pay is available at the entrance and inside the bathing area

Pools

A 50-metre pool that is 2 metres deep at its deepest point and around 1.5 metres deep at the shallow end.
A smaller and shallower pool – suitable for younger children and for those who cannot swim.
A paddling pool for the very youngest children.
All pools are heated to 24°C.
Adjoining playground.

Changing rooms and toilets

One ladies’ changing room and one men’s changing room – open during the bathing area’s opening hours.
Showers and toilets are available in the changing rooms.
An accessible toilet is available.
Baby changing facilities are available.

Ongoing information about the bathing area

GULDKROKSBADET ON INSTAGRAM

Frequently asked questions and answers

Where is Guldkroksbadet located?

Guldkroksbadet is located in the middle of Hjo harbour area, right next to Lake Vättern. Here you have access to a heated outdoor pool, a paddling pool for younger children and a sandy beach by the lake.

Are dogs allowed to swim here?

During summer, dogs are not allowed to swim in the pool or at the beach. During winter, dogs are allowed to swim at the beach.

Is food and drink available in the area?

Guldkroksbadet does not have its own kiosk, but there are several options nearby. At the entrance to the bathing area you will find Restaurang Bryggan, and just a few steps away is Moster Elins ice cream, Hamnboden - fish and deli and Guldkanten café.

Where can I park?

Parking spaces near the bathing area can be found in the harbour area and by Kulturkvarteret.

Accessibility

There is a lift to help visitors get into the pool.
There are stone slabs around the pool and down to the beach.
At the beach there is a ramp down into Lake Vättern.
An accessible toilet is located next to the changing rooms.

For a pleasant and safe swim

Children under the age of 12 may not swim without an adult companion who is able to swim.
All swimming is at your own risk.
Shower before swimming.
Swimwear must be worn at all times.
The following are not permitted in the area: smoking, alcohol, barbecues or pets.
Swimming with a snorkel or inflatable toys is not permitted. Buoyancy aids such as swim rings or arm bands are, of course, allowed.
In the event of thunder, the pools must not be used. Staff continuously monitor the weather and decide when the pools may be used again.
All pools must be vacated 30 minutes before closing time.

Help us keep it clean

Please help to keep the area clean and sort your rubbish when visiting the bathing area. There are five recycling stations on site, including one on the beach, where you can dispose of metal, glass and unsorted combustible waste. There is also the option to recycle deposit cans.

Bathing huts on the beach

In 1913, architect Lars Kellman sketched nine small buildings under the heading “Hjo Strandbad”. More than one hundred years later, they are still standing there – the bathing huts, perhaps one of Hjo’s most well-known and characteristic features of the townscape.

Hire your own bathing hut

It is possible to hire your own bathing hut all year round.
You can hire one for a single day or for an entire season.

What does a bathing hut cost?

Day hire: SEK 101
Season hire (1 June–31 August): SEK 3015

How do I book a bathing hut?

Hut for the day: contact bathing staff during the bathing area’s opening hours.
Hut for the season:
Interest in hiring a hut for the summer season is high. As Hjo Municipality wishes to safeguard both the valuable bathing huts and the interest in hiring them, a draw is carried out to allocate the huts. Everyone who registers their interest takes part in the draw and may then choose a bathing hut in the order determined by the draw. A new draw is held before each season.

To take part in the draw, log in to Rbok and submit your application no later than 30 April.

Under “Apply”, you will find “Draw for bathing huts summer …”
Click “Apply” and fill in your details.

If you have any questions, please contact leisure development officer Hanna Nordlöf.

Hire a kayak or SUP by the bathing area

During the summer, you can hire SUP boards and kayaks by the beach at Guldkroksbadet. Both Livingroom and Biergarten offer rentals.

The history of the bathing area

In the late 1800s, there was a cold bathhouse with an adjoining pool on the northern pier in Hjo harbour, close to where Guldkroksbadet is located today. The cold bathhouse opened in 1881.

The cold bathhouse was intended for bath guests who did not require medical baths. Here, visitors could bathe in the fresh waters of Lake Vättern – men separately and women separately – with a dividing screen in between. The bathing times for women and men were indicated by a white and a red flag respectively on a pole on the roof of the bathhouse.

The cold bathhouse was demolished in connection with the construction of the so-called Strandbadet in the early 1900s – an open-air bathing area with direct access to Lake Vättern. This also included the nine small bathing huts designed by Lars Kellman. In 1966, Strandbadet became what we now know as Guldkroksbadet.

Even before the cold bathhouse was built, Hjo had a hydrotherapy establishment. Hjo Vattenkuranstalt AB was inaugurated in 1878 and was located in Hjo Stadspark. Here, visitors with medical needs could receive treatment in the hydrotherapy establishment’s warm bathhouse and adjoining treatment rooms.