At an early age, the architect Richard Schmalöer, who grew up in a fancy 1950s bungalow, developed a fondness for this type of building. The informal layout, without strict adherence to symmetry or to rigid axes, demonstrated progress in the field of design, at least during the first 25 years of the Federal Republic. Then, in the mid-1970s, a more traditional domestic architecture gradually began to prevail. Schmalöer is especially fascinated by swimming pools, which were sometimes part of the luxurious décor of these buildings. Such underground temples of leisure tell the story of the post-war generation's wealth and renewed self-confidence. The architect has traced, documented and collected these repositories of history. Otherwise they might have been lost to posterity due to decay. Showcasing a new design, about twenty illustrative examples from the Ruhr district have been included in a book rich in images. As well as anecdotal pieces, it presents intriguing facts about the period of post-war reconstruction and contains information on building styles.