VW Bad

When Heinrich Nordhoff opened the city of Wolfsburg’s first public swimming facility in the summer of 1951—a gift from the Volkswagen Group to the young municipality—he expressed his wish that it serve “entirely for the relaxation, recreation, and enjoyment of the citizens of this city.” It almost seems as if Heinrich Heidersberger had the words of the VW general manager in mind when he took photos at the VW Pool facility ten years later. Succumbing, too, to the allure of the diving tower, he ascends and enters the lofty summer stage—and delivers, not a somersault or dive, but spectacular shots: images teeming with activity and details, the view over the expanse of the pool, almost surreal shots of the bathers populating a Piet Mondrian composition. Their footprints can literally be observed drying. From the diving tower, the photographer not only captured summer, but the lifestyle of the time as well.