Free swimming - together?!

The special exhibition “Free Swimming - Together?!” at the Haus der Geschichte Baden-Württemberg in Stuttgart deals with a topic that only appears light and carefree at first glance: public swimming and bathing. Along the cultural history of baths in the southwest, it becomes clear that the public bath has always been a mirror of society. A place where people either come together or separate themselves from one another. This is where conflicts are fought out and where people negotiate their own freedom and the freedom of others. The spatial staging in the special exhibition area of the Haus der Geschichte evokes the emotional image of a swimming pool and creates an atmosphere in which you can literally immerse yourself. Caustic light effects are reflected across a shimmering blue pool floor, mirrored by an imaginary water surface on which white and red lane dividers appear to lie. Light, seemingly floating elements structure the exhibition like wave patterns and allow references between the chapters and narratives of the exhibition through their own transparency. The stories of ‘Free Swimming’ - from the princely baths of the 19th century to workers' and public baths to the open-air pools of the present day - are told through exhibits, images and in-depth media offerings.

The narrative of the exhibition is structured chronothematically and deliberately encourages visitors to move freely through the exhibition: to discover it and immerse themselves in its stories.

The atmospheric staging makes it possible to experience what the bathing culture and its development reveal about its time and the respective society. Finally, the question arises as to how we can swim freely today - as individuals and as a society. Visitors can share their own thoughts on this on a large mural.

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