Bláa Lónið
| Bláa Lónið | ||
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| View of the Blue Lagoon | ||
| Geographical location | Reykjanes Peninsula | |
| Tributaries | Thermal water from the power plant is fed to the surrounding lava field after it has been used to generate electricity , where it forms a salt water lake in the typical blue and white color. | |
| Drain | Water evaporates | |
| Location close to the shore | Grindavík | |
| Data | ||
| Coordinates | 63 ° 52 '49 " N , 22 ° 26' 57" W | |
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| surface | approx. 5000 m² | |
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particularities |
Salt water lake; Use as an outdoor thermal pool (temperature from about 37 to 42 ° C) |
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The Bláa Lónið (German Blue Lagoon ) is an open-air thermal bath near Grindavík on the Reykjanes Peninsula in Iceland . It is located near the capital Reykjavík and the international airport in Keflavík and is a tourist attraction in southwest Iceland.
Salt water lake and thermal bath
The lake was created as a "waste product" from the nearby Svartsengi geothermal power station, which uses the energy from the volcanic system of the same name . There, a mixture of sea and fresh water from a depth of around 2000 meters, which at this depth can reach temperatures of up to 240 ° C , is pumped to the surface, where it is used to generate electricity and operate a district heating network. It then flows into the surrounding lava field . A salt water lake was formed there in the typical blue and white color, which comes from diatoms . At first the local population came up with the idea of bathing in it, until the thermal baths were built. This now also pumps its own thermal water out of the earth. Swimming has a special charm in winter.
The water in the thermal bath has a temperature of about 37 to 42 ° C and contains mineral salts , silica and algae . The lake has an area of about 5000 square meters.
Silica creates the blue color: it mainly reflects blue rays when the sun is shining.
Bathing in this water is recognized for relieving psoriasis (psoriasis) and other skin diseases . In addition to the thermal baths, saunas , massages and steam baths are also offered, and a number of beauty products are made from the salts and algae contained in the water.
The bath was awarded the Icelandic Environment Prize in 1999. Due to the steadily increasing number of visitors, it was expanded further until the end of January 2008. The architect of the entire facility is Sigríður Sigþórsdóttir .
Geology and the water
The Illahraun lava field , in which the thermal bath is located, was created in 1226. Illahraun means “lava of terror” in Icelandic, a name that comes from the fact that the lava field is so rugged that it was practically impassable for humans. About 30 percent of the water used here consists of fresh water that has seeped away and 70 percent of seawater flowing in from the nearby coast. The salt content is around 2.5 percent. The water is heated by the residual heat of the magma at a depth of approx. 2000 meters to 240 ° C. The exact composition of the dissolved components is:
- Silica : 251 mg / kg
- Sodium : 7,643 mg / kg
- Potassium : 1,177 mg / kg
- Calcium : 1,274 mg / kg
- Magnesium : 0.6 mg / kg
- Carbon dioxide : 11.4 mg / kg
- Sulphate : 31.8 mg / kg
- Chloride : 15,740 mg / kg
- Fluoride : 0.18 mg / kg
- total: 25,800 mg / kg
200 types of algae live in the lake water, including 60 percent previously unknown species. The water is renewed approximately every 40 hours.
Clinic and research center
Away from the outdoor pool, about 500 meters in the direction of the thermal power station, a clinic complex with 15 double rooms and its own outdoor pool area was built, primarily for the treatment of psoriasis . The treatment has been recognized by the Icelandic, Danish and Faroese health authorities.
A research center was built between this clinic and the power plant, in which the soluble components and algae are separated from the water for the production of various care products.
Bláa Lónið
Bláa Lónið
The bathroom in winter
Restaurant and bath house
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b http://www.bluelagoon.com/Clinic/Psoriasis-Behahrung-%28auf-Deutsch%29/
- ↑ Blue Lagoon: Life energy from the power of nature . German and Danish version of the brochure, 2011, pages 9–11
Web links
- official homepage
- The Reykjanes Peninsula and the Blue Lagoon
- Information about the Blue Lagoon in Iceland
clinic