Smoking still allowed in Hesse's outdoor pools, but city rules vary
Most outdoor swimming pools in Hesse do not ban smoking, leaving the decision to local authorities. This contrasts with neighbouring Baden-Württemberg's blanket prohibition. Operators in cities like Gießen, Frankfurt, Kassel and Wiesbaden have adopted different approaches, from unrestricted use to designated zones.
Current rules in Hesse
Unlike in Baden-Württemberg, smoking is generally not prohibited in open-air pools across Hesse. The state does not impose a blanket ban, allowing each municipality or pool operator to set its own policy. The result is a patchwork of rules that range from unrestricted smoking to clearly defined non‑smoking areas.
Smoking is not prohibited in our outdoor pools.
City‑by‑city approaches
In Gießen, the municipal utility company Stadtwerke Gießen confirmed that swimming pool visitors may light a cigarette anywhere on the premises. By contrast, Kassel and Frankfurt have set aside designated smoking zones, concentrating smokers in specific parts of the pool grounds.
Wiesbaden takes a different route: its operator mattiaqua specifies where smoking is forbidden rather than where it is allowed. The pool regulations state that smoking is permitted only outside the changing rooms, sanitary facilities, pool‑deck area and playgrounds, and only if other guests are not disturbed.
Smoking in the outdoor pool is only permitted outside the changing, sanitary and pool deck areas as well as the playgrounds, provided other guests are not disturbed by it.
Contrast with Baden‑Württemberg
Baden‑Württemberg, Hesse’s western neighbour, has gone further by imposing a general smoking ban in its open‑air pools. Hesse’s liberal stance therefore creates a striking regulatory divergence between the two states, with smokers in one region enjoying significantly more freedom than those across the border.
The news agency report uses the headline “Kippe ja, Shisha nein” (cigarette yes, shisha no), suggesting that shisha smoking is not allowed, but the article itself does not address water‑pipe use or elaborate on any separate rule for it.
