Bogn Engiadina Scuol
The Bogn Engiadina Scuol ( Rhaeto-Romanic in the idiom Vallader for Bad Engadin Scuol ) is a mineral and health bath with baths and saunas, Roman-Irish baths and a therapy and wellness center. The largest wellness oasis in the Engadine is located in the middle of the Lower Engadine capital, Scuol .
Mineral water bath
Contrary to popular belief, the Bogn Engiadina Scuol is not a thermal bath , but a mineral (warm) bath. According to the Swiss definition, there is only a thermal bath when the water is pumped out of the ground at over 20 ° C. In other countries such as Italy this definition does not apply.
Mineral springs
Around 20 mineral water springs arise in Scuol , which differ from one another in terms of their ingredients ( magnesium , calcium, etc.). Ten springs are currently available (as of 2008) and are used for drinking cures (healing springs: Sfondraz , Bonifazius , Lischana and Luzius ), carbonic acid mineral baths and as swimming water for the Bogn Engiadina Scuol. The springs owe their existence, among other things, to the geological window of the Lower Engadine , an erosion hole in the highest eastern Alpine pile of ceilings in the Lower Engadine, which reveals a view of the younger Bündner slate below .
In the Lower Engadine window between the towns of Guarda (Engadin) and Prutz (Tyrol), the gas-impermeable gneiss and granite layers of the Eastern Alpine ceilings actually above are missing . For example, gases from the depths can rise to the surface of the earth and, together with water in the upper layers, form a carbonic acid-saturated solution, which leads to the dissolution of minerals from the rock.
The snow-white salt efflorescence along the Inn mark such gas escape points. In some places so much gas flows out of the earth that small life in the immediate vicinity dies after a short time ( mofettes ). This results in mineral springs with very different compositions depending on the rock that has flowed through it and the length of time it remains underground. The mineral springs come to the surface of the earth cold at around 6–8 ° C. The water contains between 1.1 and 17 grams of mineral salt per liter. The sources with high calcium and magnesium content are currently experiencing a renaissance.
The mineral springs of Scuol were first mentioned in 1369. The springs were already in use in the Middle Ages . However, spa tourism in the Lower Engadine only really flourished with the construction of the Talstrasse in the second half of the 19th century. Some of the buildings that still exist, such as the Tarasp pump room or the Scuol Palace Hotel, give an impression of the spa culture of that time. Due to the Second World War and the accompanying economic crisis as well as the advances in modern medicine, spa treatments lost their importance. Over the past 30 years, Scuol has transformed itself from a pure spa to a holiday resort with opportunities for relaxation.
It is thanks to the doctor Paracelsus that the sources of Scuol became known throughout Europe.
The building
The building is a material mix of concrete, glass, mostly metal painted in pastel tones and natural wood. A few architectural elements that take up the theme of "water" are present, e.g. B. the wave-shaped roof of the main entrance. This is level with the main street, further entrances lead through the underground car park and through adjacent hotels.
The bathing complex
The Bogn Engiadina Scuol was opened in the spring of 1993. The construction costs amounted to approx. CHF 50 million . As with almost all public pools, the operation of the Bogn Engiadina Scuol cannot be fully covered by the income. The annual maintenance costs amount to around CHF 500,000. The salt consumption of the brine basin alone devours a considerable part of the maintenance costs. The entire bathing facility is maintained through intensive maintenance and care work. The operators try to keep the facility functional and attractive for as long as possible, as the construction costs of a new bathing facility cannot currently be financed. The Bogn Engiadina Scuol is now one of the main tourist attractions of the Lower Engadine.
The Bogn Engiadina Scuol has a warm and cold water grotto , steam bath (45–47 ° C), brine bath , whirlpool (hot tub), main pool, solarium, outdoor pool and sauna . The sauna area includes a bio sauna (55–65 ° C) with light and color therapy, a "normal" sauna with 85 ° C and a Finnish sauna with 95 ° C. The sauna area has other small pools. All of these bathing areas are connected to the main room. The main room is designed in the shape of an octagon and is glazed with a central skylight. On old brochures you can see that the roof glazing was planned to be more extensive than it was realized. In the middle of the main room are the main basin and the "hot tub". The outdoor pool allows a view of the Lower Engadine Dolomites. The supervisory staff conducts inspections throughout the facility at short and regular intervals.
The separate bathing area, the "Roman-Irish bath", offers a special bathing ceremony, which consists of cold-blooded steam and cold water baths and massages. Use of the Roman-Irish bath is not included in the normal entry price. For reasons of capacity and the special bathing procedure, registration by phone or internet is necessary.
From Monday to Friday, aqua aerobics take place in the main pool at 10:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., lasting around 20 minutes. The exercises are conducted by the Andor fitness center.
The center for medical wellness, an area for therapy and medical rehabilitation and the Andor fitness center are also integrated into the building complex. The building has a parking garage operated by an external company.
The technology of the bathing facility
The Bogn Engiadina Scuol is a modern bathing facility. Even in the planning and construction phase, value was placed on energy-saving operation. A geothermal system is integrated in the heating system, which as of 2007 was one of the largest geothermal systems in Europe. In the near future, attempts will be made to further intensify the use of geothermal energy. An attempt should be made to feed any excess heat back into the soil for buffering. In addition to geothermal energy - which covers approx. 30% of the energy requirement - so-called heat recovery is also used in the bathroom . The heat recovery and geothermal energy thus enable approx. 50% of the energy requirement to be covered. The rest is poured in via an oil heating system as required. The pumped mineral water is pumped cold and only then subsequently heated with the heating system.
For further energy optimization, the water is drained into a collecting basin directly below the actual swimming pool after work has ended. This further reduces heat loss. At the start of operation, the water is then pumped back into the upper basin.
The approx. 600,000 liters of bath (mineral) water in the system are disinfected and cleaned by an ozone and chlorine system. The main focus is on ozone and the chlorine is only added for depot disinfection. As far as possible, there is no smell of chlorine in the bathroom. The typical chlorine odor that can be seen in many other swimming pools is not caused directly by the chlorine, but rather by the chlorine compounds which react with the impurities in the water.
Regular state tests confirm that the pool has very good water quality. The bathing water is almost of drinking water quality.
Web links
Coordinates: 46 ° 47 '51 " N , 10 ° 18' 5.4" E ; CH1903: eight hundred and eighteen thousand five hundred thirteen / 186914