Will the lights go out in Germany this winter?

On a sunny day like this, hordes of children are jumping in and out of the water while pensioners dawdle up and down the slow lane. Few have noticed that this pool is a little chillier than usual.

These public baths, among the oldest in Germany’s second-largest city, Hamburg, are as popular as ever. No one seems bothered that the management have turned the thermostat down a few notches — from 28c to 25c to be precise.

What, though, will they think, as autumn gives way to winter, if the heating goes off altogether?

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