International Conference on Natural Swimming Pools and Swimming Ponds

Inspiring Examples and Best Practices

5 February 2026

Aula, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague – Suchdol

About the conference

The conference, organised by the Association of Natural Swimming Pools and Ponds (ABAJ) under the Czech Landscape Gardening Association (SZÚZ), will present inspiring examples – from private swimming ponds and bio-pools to public natural swimming pools and water features designed for rainwater management. The event will bring together experts from Czechia and abroad, present current trends, and showcase nature-friendly approaches in practice.

The professional programme is guaranteed by Jana Mudrová and Pavel Jugas (ABAJ).
The conference will be held in Czech and English. Simultaneous interpretation between Czech and English will be provided.

Registration Fee (EUR)

EUR 105 – IOB member/ member of SZÚZ / student /

EUR 130 – ČKA / ČAKA member

EUR 150 – other participants

Participants requesting an invoice in EUR will be charged according to the fees listed on the English version of the website.

The registration fee includes:

  • attendance at the full-day professional programme,
  • simultaneous interpretation Czech ↔ English,
  • morning and afternoon coffee breaks,
  • lunch including a non-alcoholic beverage,
  • access to presentations by selected speakers (subject to the authors’ consent).

Who is the conference intended for?

Designers
and architects
Implementation
companies
Facility
managers
Public
administration
Investors
and landowners
Horticulture and landscape design students

Programme

8:30–9:15

Registration of participants, morning coffee

9:15–9:30

Conference opening

9:30–10:00

Pavel Jugas (ABAJ)

Association of Natural Swimming Pools and Ponds: From Professional Standards to the Future of Natural Swimming

10:00–11:00

Stefan Meier, prezident IOB

President of the International Organisation of Natural Bathing Waters (IOB)

Introduction to IOB and the “Common Essentials” Principles: Plant Selection Criteria Supporting System Stability, Water Quality and Biodiversity

11:00–11:30

Coffee break

11:30–12:00

Karel Dohnal, ACO

Rainwater in Water Features: Effective Pre-treatment Methods

12:00–13:00

Lars Juncker (Dánsko)

Development and Approval of Public Natural Swimming Facilities in Denmark /

From Large Outdoor Pools to High-Capacity Biopools and Rainwater-Fed Water Play Features

13:00–14:00

Oběd

14:00–14:40

Inspirational Examples from Practice

Award-Winning Projects from the “Swimming Pond of the Year” Competition 2019–2024

14:40–14:50

Martin Panchartek

HYDROBALANCE – A Biofilm Filtration System for Natural Swimming Pools

14:50–15:30

Lars Juncker (Dánsko)

Private Natural Swimming Pools in Denmark: Award-Winning Projects, Design, Construction and Technology

15:30–15:45

Coffee break

15:45–16:15

Jan Nussbauer

Plants Not Only for the Edges of Natural Swimming Pools and Swimming Ponds

16:15–16:40

Jana Mudrová

Water as a Therapeutic Element – Design and Realisation of a Water Feature for People with Visual Impairment

16:40-17:00

Jiří Hájek

Terapeutické jezírko u domova pro seniory

17:00

Conference Closing

Are you interested in the program and theme of the conference?

Are you an expert in the field of natural pools and swimming ponds? Do you have a company that deals with their implementation, or do you invest or study in this field? Then this conference is just for you!

Jak se na konferenci dostanete?

Venue:
Kamýcká 1276, 165 00 Praha-Suchdol
Czech republic

By car

Parking is available at the Main Parking Lot of the Czech University of Life Sciences P1
Parking Lot, Kamýcká 129, 165 00 Prague-Suchdol, Czech republic

Public transport

From the Main Railway Station, you can take:
Metro line C towards Kačerov, change at the Muzeum stop to metro line A towards Nemocnice Motol and get off at the Dejvická stop, where you change to bus 147 towards Výhledy/107 towards Suchdol and in both cases get off at the Zemědělská univerzita stop.

Take tram 26 towards Dědina to the Vítězné náměstí stop, walk to the Dejvická C stop, and then take bus 147 towards Výhledy or bus 107 towards Suchdol to the Zemědělská univerzita stop.

Another option is to take the train to the Praha-Podbaba stop, change to bus 107 towards Suchdol, and get off at the Zemědělská univerzita stop.

The conference is supported by

General Partner

Partners