Accessible swimming beach completed on the Tampsan monttu

12.9.2024 | Kotka’s first accessible swimming area has been completed at Tampsa monttu, address Kymintie 211. The design of the beach was the work of Kotka’s accessibility team and one of the people who submitted the idea.
The beach has been built at the Taatonkatu end of Tampsan monttu. Accessible parking in the immediate vicinity of the beach can be reached by driving along Taatonkatu all the way to the Tampsan monttu

The construction of the Tampsa accessible swimming beach was made possible by the ideas for an accessible swimming beach that came from participatory budgeting, Osbu. The accessible beach was on the ballot in 2022 and 2023 and received a lot of support before progressing to implementation.

At the time of the call for ideas, several different locations had been hoped for, but Tampsa was chosen for the implementation because the Tampsa Monument is not as susceptible to weather variations as a seafront structure would be.

“The accessible beach, long ramps and handrails all the way around will allow a wide range of people to swim and enter the water, even with an assistive device. It should be noted, however, that the assistive device must be suitable for use in the water. At the moment the water level is exceptionally low, so it is difficult to get a good overview of the place,” says Hanna Pikka, the city’s Participatory Budgeting Coordinator in Kotka.

“We are planning to hold the opening of the Tampsa accessible swimming beach next spring together with the Kotka Council for the Disabled. All active swimmers in the area and others interested in swimming in natural water without obstacles and in a safer way would be welcome,” Pikka promises.

Tampsa Monttu is one of the public beaches run by the City of Kotka. It has undergone a lot of development over the years and is a relatively small and safe swimming area, also popular with families with children. The accessibility of the bathing area is being further developed and the foundations for the Invavessa, for example, have already been laid. There will also be instructions for the use of the ramp, which will have an opening gate at the end of the ramp.

“Having an accessible swimming beach in Kotka is a great thing and we are now working together to get it right to the finish line. We still have to work on putting the accessibility information on the website, but we will try to do that soon. Of course, the beach can’t serve everyone’s needs, but it’s a good start,” Pikka says.