Fohnsdorf thermal baths

The Fohnsdorf thermal bath , marketed under Aqualux-Therme Fohnsdorf, is a thermal bath opened in 2007 in Fohnsdorf in Styria with indoor and outdoor pools, which are supplied with sodium-chloride-hydrogen carbonate - thermal - mineral water . The bath is managed by the municipal thermal baths Fohnsdorf Errichtungs- und Betriebs GmbH .

History of discovery of the thermal baths

In 1940 workers at a mine wanted to increase the shaft depth. During a borehole, warm water shot into the shaft, a thermal spring was encountered with a discharge of 700 liters per minute and a heat of around 39 ° C. The shaft was then flooded and closed. Since coal mining was still lucrative at the time, this discovery was hardly given any importance. Decades later, the thermal water was re-developed through a deep borehole and its water composition was analyzed, which revealed the high quality of the spring. In mid-1995, a private spa company was drilling for thermal water again at what would later be the location of the pool. In 2002, the Gabelhofen Thermal 1 deep well in the Fohnsdorf Basin struck gold at a depth of 2000 m and the thermal water exits there at a temperature of 42.2 ° C.

Planning and construction

In October 1996, a private thermal bath company received the building permit on a plot of land belonging to the municipality of Fohnsdorf that was necessary for the construction of the thermal bath; The company mentioned went bankrupt in 1999 , which postponed the project. At the end of 2000, a private foundation finally bought a piece of land from the bankruptcy estate as well as a hotel, which started the thermal project again. However, at the end of 2001 this project was shelved because the private foundation withdrew. Therefore, the municipality of Fohnsdorf finally took the thermal spa construction into their own hands and in 2003 bought the thermal spa property, the rights to use the thermal water drilling and important documents.In the same year, the then Fohnsdorf Errichtungs- und Planungs GmbH was founded as a subsidiary of the Stadtwerke. An analysis showed a market potential of 311,000 day visitors per year for the thermal baths . In November 2004, an architectural competition for the thermal baths was announced, the winner of which was determined in January 2005.

In September 2006, the construction of the thermal baths finally began, with funding from the Styrian state government several times . Originally the construction should have cost 21.5 million euros, but the costs rose to 21.68 million. This increase in costs already became a political issue during the construction phase. In June 2011, the report by the Court of Auditors led to another political debate because it was determined that the planning basis was unrealistic, since instead of the planned 311,000 day visitors, only about 130,000 people visit the thermal baths per year. In addition, there were rescheduling during construction, which led to cost increases. The heavily indebted community had also exceeded its powers several times. The public prosecutor's office investigated against Mayor Johann Straner ( SPÖ , then “List Hans”) for abuse of office and infidelity , whereupon the mayor was removed from office and a government commissioner was appointed at the beginning of the year . On March 3, 2017, Straner was convicted by the court.

On December 7, 2007, the thermal baths landscape was opened after a 15-month construction period with a total cost of 26 million euros.

business

The Fohnsdorf thermal baths have a 9000 square meter thermal water landscape. In addition to a sports swimming pool that is common for such facilities and a separate area for children and toddlers, the thermal baths have a wellness area , a sauna area and a health center. In 2011, around 135,000 visitors visited the thermal baths.

Web links

• Court of Audit sinks Therme Fohnsdorf; in: "Die Presse", print edition, June 8, 2011
• Court of Auditors report
• Web presence of Therme Fohnsdorf

Individual evidence

1. ↑ The story of the discovery - From black gold to liquid gold ( Memento of the original from January 4, 2012 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. 
2. ↑ ^{a b c} Report of the Court of Auditors on the Fohnsdorf thermal baths (PDF file, pp. 29–31; accessed on June 2, 2012; 4.6 MB)
3. ↑ Tiefbohrung Tiefbohrung Gabelhofen 1  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed June 6, 2012  
4. ^ Fohnsdorf goes swimming , accessed on June 6, 2012
5. ↑ Strahner rejects criticism of the invoice , orf.at accessed on June 6, 2012
6. ↑ http://steiermark.orf.at/news/stories/2829755/ Straner sentenced: several years imprisonment, orf.at, March 8, 2018
7. ^ Opening of the Fohnsdorf thermal baths , orf.at, accessed on June 6, 2012
8. ↑ Thermen in Fohnsdorf ( Memento of the original from May 20, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed June 6, 2012 
9. ↑ VitaDome wellness area ( Memento of the original from June 14, 2012 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. , accessed June 6, 2012 
10. ↑ Thermal baths need money , accessed on June 6, 2012

Coordinates: 47 ° 11 ′ 40.8 "  N , 14 ° 40 ′ 27.7"  E