Icelandic bathing culture
The Icelandic bathing culture is an integral part of Icelandic culture.
requirements
Due to the volcanic activity in Iceland, there are a large number of hot springs that are used, among other things, to heat baths.
In addition to the hot springs, there are 169 baths in Iceland, 138 of which are geothermally heated (as of 2010). Most of the bathrooms are not covered.
In Iceland, swimming is a compulsory part of physical education, so almost every Icelander can swim.
Meaning and special features
Visiting the swimming pool is firmly anchored in Icelandic culture, with around 1.6 million visitors a year in Icelandic bathing establishments; the swimming pool is an important social meeting place. Admission is free for seniors.
Icelanders particularly like hot baths (over 36 ° C), and bathing facilities called hot pots can be found in almost all swimming pools and in many private homes.
As far back as the Middle Ages, hot springs were used for bathing, as the sagas tell us about . Sources that have been preserved include Gvendarlaug in the Vestfirðir region , Snorralaug in Reykholt or Guðrúnarlaug in Dalabyggð municipality .
Visiting Icelandic bathing facilities is now also of major tourist importance. The Bláa Lónið ( German Blue Lagoon ) near the Icelandic capital Reykjavík and Jarðböðin við Mývatn (English Mývatn Nature Baths ) on the Mývatn are particularly well-known .
Web links
- Geothermal Development and Research in Iceland, p. 30. (English; PDF; 3.2 MB)
- Swimming in Iceland (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ icelandreview: Thermal swimming pools ( Memento of the original from January 18, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
