Berliners jump into the Spree River to show it’s clean enough for swimming

A century after the city of Berlin banned swimming in the Spree River because it was so polluted, it could make people sick, there's a push by swimmers to get back into the water. Around 200 people jumped into the slow-moving, greenish water to show that it's not only clean enough, but also lots of fun to splash and swim in the Mitte neighborhood along the world-famous Museum Island. A group calling itself Fluss Bad Berlin, or River Pool Berlin, has been lobbying for years to open the meandering river for swimmers again. "For 100 years now, people have not been allowed to swim in the inner-city Spree and we no longer think this is justified, because we can show that the water quality is usually good enough to go swimming during the season," said Jan Edler, who is on the board of Fluss Bad Berlin and helped organize the swim-in. To circumvent the ban, the group registered their collective swim event as an official protest. Standing on a little staircase that leads down to the Spree canal, which flows around the southern side of the island, Edler stressed that "we want the people to use the Spree for recreation again." He pointed to the fact that the river has been cleaned up thoroughly, and that the water quality has improved in the last decade and is constantly being monitored. Even city officials in the central Mitte district of Berlin say they'd be interested in introducing river swimming again in 2026. "There are still many things that need to be clarified, but I am optimistic that it can succeed," district city councilor Ephraim Gothe told the German Press Agency recently. Supporters of lifting the swimming ban also point to Paris, where the Seine River was opened up for swimmers for the Olympic Games last year and will be opened this summer for Parisians. Swimming had been banned there since 1923. This article was provided by The Associated Press.