Abstract
Mining activity is usually associated with heavy industry, the degradation of space and areas with a clearly industrial character. In fact, mining can be associated with other functions, such as health resorts, recreation and leisure. In the case of spas specializing in balneotherapy, medicinal underground waters “mineral and thermal” are extracted from local deposits using mining methods, in borehole mines. Mining activity is not the main direction of development of these places, but it remains absolutely essential for maintaining the spa function and offering services in the field of recreation, rest and tourism. The article focuses on the relationship between mining activity and the basic function of spas, the spatial relations between urban development and the spa zone, the range of mineral and thermal water use (natural resources obtained from underground deposits using the borehole method), and above all-the manner of exposing mining facilities in spa space and explaining the importance of these elements. The basis for the discussion featured in the article is constituted the results of an original study carried out by the author, employing field research, in 2018 at the Institute of Cities and Regions Design, Faculty of Architecture of the Cracow University of Technology. Research work was performed in a dozen South-German statutory spas (Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Saxony). Four cities representing a much wider group of spa centres were selected for detailed analysis: Bad Buchau, Bad Saulgau, Bad Aibling and Bad Schandau. It was shown that the selected cities were directly related to the mining of groundwater, but at the same time differed significantly in terms of the studied features. The study's conclusions may be useful in programming the development of spa towns operating on the basis of underground medicinal waters, as well as in the creation of concepts and projects on the urban and regional scale. Doi: 10.28991/HEF-2020-01-01-01 Full Text: PDF
Highlights
Groundwater belongs to the group resources that are commonly procured using mining methods all over the world
From among all of the investigated towns located in the southern part of Germany, four health resorts were selected for detailed analysis: Bad Buchau and Bad Saulgau (Baden-Wurttemberg), Bad Aibling (Bavaria) and Bad Schandau (Saxony) - as representatives of a broad group of the health resort towns of the entire region
The Bad Buchau health resort essentially covers a complex of clinics that offer therapy that aids in rehabilitation and the treatment of conditions and injuries treated by orthopaedics, rheumatology, urology and oncology [11, 12]
Summary
Groundwater belongs to the group resources that are commonly procured using mining methods all over the world. Medicinal thermal waters are a special type of groundwater, minable aquifers of which can be found all across the entirety of Europe. According to the state recorded at the end of 2014, as much as a third of the overall number of 50 thermal water aquifers present in Poland were medicinal water deposits [2]. In Germany, numerous medicinal thermal water aquifers are located in, among other places, the southern section of the country, which covers the foothills of the Alps in Baden-Wurttemberg and Bavaria [3], as well as in the Ore Mountains, on the German and Czech borderland
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