LUXURY IN SERBIA’S OLDEST NATIONAL PARK

“FRUSKE TERME” SPA IN VRDNIK

The spa is located in the heart of National Park Fruska Gora, 20 km southwest of Novi Sad and 70 km northwest of Serbia’s capital Belgrade. It offers a unique natural setting surrounded by forests and healing waters and creates ideal conditions for health and recreational tourism. The Fruske Terme hotel and resort was designed by Djordje Bajilo Architects and realized within the ethno village Vrdnicka kula in two stages. The first stage included the construction of a 4-star hotel with spa and wellness facilities from 2018 to 2020. During the second stage from 2021 to 2022, an outdoor pool complex was added.

The facility is integrated into the existing environment and cascades down following the slope, developing its features on multiple levels, with spaces that open up towards the surroundings. The complex covers over 42,976 m². The spa and wellness facilities include twelve outdoor and indoor pools with beaches, twelve saunas and a massage block located on the lower levels. Rooms

(206 units), a restaurant and a café are located on the upper floors, while the congress block is located in the attic. The complex is intended for relaxation and recreation for all ages, families and groups for business events. Appropriate zoning ensures that the different areas are properly segregated, avoiding any potential overlaps or disruptions.

Panoramic pools

The total water surface area of all pools is 2,509 m². Most of the pool shells, along with all the accompanying attractions, are made of stainless steel. The pool shells are thermally insulated, and the winter pool is covered at night to minimize heat loss. The splash park is designed as a flat surface covered with rubber for safety and slip resistance, and features a water play area with sprinklers, slides and various toys for the youngest visitors.

Due to the terrain configuration and the resulting views, panoramic pools have been formed as a quiet relaxation zone. One of them extends beyond the terrain and is fully glazed along its entire length. The majority of the pool structures (nine of them) feature infinity overflow, which adds a special appeal to the space. The complex also offers eight water slides of varying heights, ranging from two to eleven metres. An exceptional fea ture is the “winter” pool, which allows bathers to swim in warm thermal water outside, even during cold winter months.

The sauna world consists of four Finnish saunas, three infrared saunas, two steam rooms and one each of chromo, aroma, Russian bath and salt room, with relaxation rooms, water beds and tepidarium.

Construction time decisive for material choice

The load-bearing structure is made of reinforced concrete and laminated wood. Wood is quite prevalent in the interiors, either as a visible structure or in the form of acoustic ceilings and absorbers. The facade surfaces and some of the interior walls are made of aerated concrete blocks, while the partition walls are made of prefabricated gypsum board panels for speed of construction and future space flexibility.

Energy Efficiency Class A

In an era when energy sources are becoming increasingly expensive, a way has been found to construct a spa in Serbia based on renewable energy sources and energy efficiency (class A). The building is fully insulated with stone wool. The source of heating and cooling for the building, pool water and all sanitary water consumption is warm geothermal water with a temperature of 35° Celsius. Water-to-water heat pumps for heating and air conditioning and for preventing glass fogging have been installed.

The demand for electricity has been reduced by 50 % with the installation of photovoltaic panels on the roof of the multi-storey garage. The spaces are naturally lit by large glass surfaces, and the deep rooms are further illuminated by roof domes and lanterns.

Warm welcome to guests with mobility impairments

Special emphasis has been placed on accessibility for persons with a disability and mobility impairments. Three accommodation units are provided, equipped with all the stan dards for persons with mobility impairments (such as barrier-free doors, room size, hallway width, bathroom dimensions). A special lift / mobile platform allows them to access the pool. In addition to all the public toilet groups, toilets for persons with special needs are also provided. All entrances and access controls to the spa and wellness centre are adapted for the movement of people with a disability. They are connected to all facilities by elevators, and there are no individual stairs or thresholds throughout the building.