Free outdoor pool entry for pupils in overheated classrooms rejected by Munich's Stadtwerke

A proposal to give Munich schoolchildren over the age of 12 free entry to the city's outdoor swimming pools after sitting in classrooms of 30 degrees Celsius or more has been turned down by Stadtwerke München (SWM), the municipal utility that runs the pools.

The idea was put forward on 23 June 2026 by city councillors Dirk Höpner, Tobias Ruff, Kathrin Schäfer and Johann Sauerer of the ÖDP/BK/ML group. Pupils would have proved the temperature with, for example, a photo of a classroom thermometer or confirmation from a teacher. The councillors argued that Munich increasingly sees days above 30 degrees, and that heat in classrooms causes headaches, tiredness, circulatory problems and poor concentration. They acknowledged that free entry would not solve the problem of overheated classrooms, but said it would be a visible sign that the city takes the strain on pupils seriously.

In its response, SWM said it recognised the burden high temperatures place on pupils. It pointed out that children up to their 12th birthday already get into Munich's outdoor pools free of charge, a voluntary benefit provided by the city. Pupils up to the age of 15 fall into a concessionary group and pay a reduced price of 4 euros for a full day.

SWM said the proposed extension would create considerable organisational and administrative work, and that checking and verifying the actual temperatures in individual classrooms would be hard to put into practice and would add to the workload of both schools and pools.

Dr Christian Scharpf, head of the city's Department of Labour and Economic Development, replied to the councillors by letter, as the matter falls within SWM's operational responsibility and cannot legally be decided by the city council. His department endorsed SWM's position, describing the wish for free entry as entirely understandable and thanking the councillors for the suggestion, while regretting that SWM could not implement it.