A new wave pool in Rimavská Sobota, southern Slovakia. (source: Facebook - Jozef Šimko)
In southern central Slovakia, a small town is making a splash with an unusually bold claim.
“This is the biggest wave pool in all of central Europe,” Jozef Šimko, the mayor of Rimavská Sobota, told Pravda, a Slovak daily.
The town’s latest attraction is a sprawling 70-by-60-metre artificial wave pool with eight different wave patterns – the most dramatic of which can churn up metre-high swells.
Located just five kilometres from the town centre, the new pool is nestled in the Kurinec – Zelená voda recreation zone, which includes a water reservoir. The site was already popular during communist times. Local authorities hope the €2 million project, part of a broader revamp of the area’s ageing thermal spa, will breathe new life into tourism and offset years of economic stagnation.
On 14 June, visitors will be admitted free of charge for the grand opening. After that, entry will cost €10 – covering access to the wave pool, a triple slide and other amenities.
But not everyone is convinced the town is swimming in the right direction.
Critics, including a bloc of city councillors, say the project is a vanity spend that risks sinking the town’s budget. “It’s a wildly overpriced wave pool,” said Roman Vaľo, head of the opposition group Spolu sme Sobota. “Meanwhile, schools are falling apart and public buildings are crumbling.”
Initially pegged at €1.8 million, the final price tag now nears €2.5 million, with added costs for sanitary facilities and unplanned construction work. Šimko insists the additional costs were necessary – and regulatory. “Without the new restrooms, the health authorities wouldn’t let us open,” he told Pravda.
Rimavská Sobota’s latest attraction is a sprawling, 70-by-60-metre artificial wave pool. (source: Facebook - Jozef Šimko)
Šimko remains bullish. He believes the wave pool will help the spa attract up to 5,000 daily visitors during peak season. Last year, the resort generated €680,000 in revenue. This year, the mayor is betting on €1 million.
The Kurinec area has had a chequered history. Once centred around a reservoir where residents would bathe in the summer heat, the area fell into decline after grand plans for an aquapark stalled in the early 2000s. Since taking office in 2010, Šimko has gradually expanded the complex – adding geothermal pools, slides and basic facilities.
Now, he has his eye on the future: a new 25-metre lap pool, an indoor thermal complex, and even a so-called “wild river” water ride stretching over 200 metres. But for that, the town needs a second geothermal borehole. The current one, at 1,022 metres deep, delivers only lukewarm water – too little and too cold for year-round operation.
“We’ll probably need to secure funding from some kind of grant or fund and drill a new borehole,” Šimko concluded.
A helping hand in the heart of Europe offers a travel guide of Slovakia. (source: Spectacular Slovakia)
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