History
The Swimming Stadium was designed by architect Jorma Järvi in the Functionalist style prevalent during the 1930s. The swimming pool was built for the 1940 Olympic Games, which were then cancelled due to the Second World War; but then hosted the 1952 Summer Olympics.
Because of the war, the construction of the Swimming Stadium took a long time, and it was finally completed in 1947. In wartime, the finished pools were used to store herring and root vegetables.
According to the International Swimming Federation, the water temperature in the pool needs to be at least 22 °C, nowadays 27 °C. The machinery to heat the outdoor pool was ordered from abroad, and the ship transporting them was sunk immediately after the war broke out.
Read more about this topic: Helsinki Swimming Stadium
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