Krapfenwaldlbad, Outdoor swimming pool in Döbling district, Vienna, Austria
Krapfenwaldlbad is an outdoor swimming facility located at Vienna's highest point, featuring multiple pools of varying sizes and depths. The complex includes sports courts, recreational areas for families, and shaded zones alongside the main swimming basins.
The bath opened in 1923 on the Cobenzl slopes, later reached by the Wiener Höhenstraße. Its name comes from Franz Josef Krapf, who built a forest house nearby that became a restaurant, now part of the bath. Damaged in World War II, it reopened in 1952; two new pools followed in 1978, and in summer 1979 it became Vienna's first topless bathing area.
This facility became a landmark for Viennese social freedom when it first allowed women to swim topless, a radical change at the time. The pools today remain spaces where locals experience leisure and equality in a democratic setting.
The location sits on a hillside and is accessible by U4 subway to Heiligenstadt station or by bus service to the area. Arrive early on warm days, as swimming areas can become crowded and shaded spots fill quickly.
Several groups of black pines on the grounds were placed under protection in 1937; this spot was then the northernmost occurrence of the Mediterranean species. The bath also had one of Vienna's first separate nude bathing areas.
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