On Tuesday, March 14, 2023, the first city and spa pool complex in Rovinj-Rovigno was opened. This is the largest investment in the sports and medical infrastructure, which made it possible to provide Rovinj athletes with adequate space for training swimmers and water polo players, and at the same time to further expand the services of the Special Hospital for Orthopedics and Rehabilitation "Martin Horvat Rovinj-Rovigno", whose initiatives and efforts contribute to growth and the success of the Institution itself.
It is the first swimming pool of its kind in Croatia and among several in Europe, with a movable bottom on three stainless steel tracks and an alarm system that monitors swimmers to prevent drowning, all thanks to an investment of HRK 68 million, which was fully provided by the City of Rovinj - Rovigno.
The official opening was attended by the State Secretary of the Ministry of Health, associate professor, Ph.D. Silvio Bašić, MD, advisor to the Minister of Tourism and Sports Igor Radić, Prefect of Istria County Boris Miletić, Member of Parliament Katarina Nemet, Members of Parliament Marin Lerotić, Emil Daus, Anton Kliman and Silvano Hrelja, and other guests of exceptional importance for the city as well as for the health system.
About the project
The project included the construction of a city and spa pool with the necessary infrastructure and landscaping, on the site of the former pool building, which was removed and replaced by a replacement building. The project started in 2017, and the holder is VALBRUNA SPORT doo in cooperation with the City of Rovinj-Rovigno and the Special Hospital for Orthopedics and Rehabilitation "Martin Horvat" Rovinj-Rovigno.
The special hospital and swimming pool complex are located on the Sveta Pelagija peninsula, north of the old town of Rovinj, on a building plot of 2992 m2, of which 2679 m2 is under construction, and 313 m2 is courtyard space. The building consists of a city (large) swimming pool with fresh water, a spa pool with sea water, areas for exercise and therapy, changing rooms, sanitary facilities and other facilities for hospital users and external users.
Most of the ground floor is occupied by the city or large swimming pool measuring 33.33 x 25.0 m. The city swimming pool is located in the north-western part of the building, and next to it there are changing rooms with showers and sanitary facilities. In addition to the areas for pool users, there are also areas for staff, prop storage and club rooms. The pool is made of stainless steel or stainless steel. The use of stainless steel in the design and construction of swimming pools has many advantages over other materials that are traditionally used. Its use requires much less chemicals to maintain the sanitary correctness of the pool water, and it has a long service life.
The pool has a movable bottom with a width of 3 lanes and a length of 25.0 m, which descends from the maximum depth of the pool, and rises 2.0 m to the zero point. The movable bottom increases the flexibility and functionality of the pool for various purposes, as it allows one pool tank to accept several activities at the same time or at different depths.
In addition, the pool is equipped with a leading safety system for detection and protection of pool users against drowning, AngelEye View. It is an innovative software technology where patented underwater cameras detect all movements of pool users and send notifications to security personnel in the event of an accident.
The second part of the pool complex consists of a 12.60 m x 6 m seawater therapy pool, which, due to its reduced dimensions for better control of physical therapy, is intended exclusively for patients of Rovinj Hospital.
Due to the different composition of the pool water (fresh and sea), it was necessary to build two separate engine rooms. Engine rooms are designed with the most modern approach with special attention to the use of renewable energy sources. Thus, for heating and cooling water and rooms, heat pumps are used along with electricity-natural gas cogeneration, and integration with solar panels for water heating.
The rest of the swimming pool complex consists of a hydrotherapy hall, where there are Hubbard tubs intended for less mobile patients, in which massage and exercises are performed, galvanic baths (current through water used for various diagnoses such as rheumatoid arthritis, and if necessary, they can be two-cell, three-cell and four-cell), and bathtubs for underwater massage; as well as a brand new hall for physical exercises and conducting physical therapy with an area of 180 m2.
