Swimming pool The Watergeus officially opened
On Saturday, June 29, the new swimming pool De Watergeus in the Van Tuyllpark in Zoetermeer was officially opened by alderman Weerwag (sports). Artwork 4M that stands in front of the entrance to the new pool was also unveiled by alderman Blansjaar (art and culture) and artist Marcel Smink.
3 pools
Alderman Weerwag fired the starting gun for the first friendly competition in the new 25-meter pool. Then, via the target group pool, the recreational pool was also opened: Alderman Weerwag also gave the starting shot here, after which 4 children took a dip in the pool via the new family slide.
Alderman Weerwag: "Swimming pool De Watergeus is a valuable addition to our city. It offers Zoetermeer a new place to gather, recreate, learn and play sports. This is a long-awaited moment that both I as alderman and all the residents of Zoetermeer have been looking forward to."
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Artwork 4M
The 7-meter-high artwork 4M, which stands in front of the entrance to De Watergeus, was also unveiled by Alderman Blansjaar and artist Marcel Smink. The artwork consists of 3 figures that look alike but have different attitudes. One dives, the other swims and the third skates or runs. The figures playfully refer to the different sports you can do in the Van Tuyllpark. The title 4M stands not only for '4 meters under NAP', but also for the 4 reasons to go swimming. Swimming to survive, to stay healthy, in competition and as a game. "Art connects and both its creation and elaboration come together in this impressive work of art." said Alderman Blansjaar.
Participation
In Zoetermeer, residents help think about the works of art in the city. For each commission, the municipality forms a temporary project group with residents and users of the location where the artwork is to be created. This group determines the location, writes the commission description, selects artists for sketches and chooses the final idea to be executed.
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Swimming
Now that the pool is officially open, the regular program also begins. "Over the past few weeks, the swimming clubs have been doing trial runs and recreational users have already been able to use the pool. We have seen many happy faces and received satisfied reactions." Says Mark de Jong, location manager of Optisport's De Watergeus swimming pool.
The schedule can be found on the website www.optisport.nl/zwembad-de-watergeus-zoetermeer. Zoetermeerders are cordially invited to take a dip in De Watergeus.