Sölvesborg
Sölvesborg Cold Bathhouse is a round, wood-shingled bathing pavilion at Tredenborg, on the coastline just outside Sölvesborg in southern Sweden. The site once held bathing jetties and a diving platform where generations learned to swim, and the project sets out to bring that stretch of disused shore back into civic use. The circular plan softens the traditional split between men’s and women’s sections, frees a sheltered central zone for families, and echoes both the round Viking-era fortifications that gave Tredenborg its name and the arched portal of Gunnar Asplund’s courthouse — Sölvesborg’s most iconic building. A deep roof overhang shelters bathers and plays light and shadow across the cedar shingles, which will weather and grey into the surrounding landscape.
The Iron Age Portal
Johanna Saleryd, 21 August 2023
— A local champion in Sölvesborg got in touch. He’s a great admirer of Gert and wanted him to sketch a cold bath house — something to drum up interest in the project, sign up members, and unlock financing.
And Gert drew it and they were happy on the spot?
— Not exactly. His first napkin sketch wasn’t quite what they had in mind. But we got there.
What did they want?
— What they really wanted, I think, was Gert and Karin’s renovated cottage Äggdal — or at least the stillness of Äggdal. Something that felt traditional and contemporary at the same time.
And in wood?
— Yes. The shingles will weather and grey, and the building will settle into its surroundings.
Where is it sited?
— The area is called Tredenborg, just outside Sölvesborg.
The surrounding landscape is popular for weekend walks — very scenic — but the bathing spot itself sits slightly off the route, which gives it some seclusion. It’s a place that used to have jetties and a diving platform, where generations of locals learned to swim.
A history you want to build on?
— Exactly. It isn’t a pristine site we’re trying to claim; it’s a forgotten one we want to reawaken.
Why does the cold bath house look the way it does?
— Partly it’s a planning move. Cold bath houses traditionally have a men’s side and a women’s side, though they don’t have to. If you don’t want to divide it the conventional way — sending people in opposite directions and then ninety degrees outward — a circular form works beautifully. You also get a sheltered central zone where the whole family can gather. Facing the other way, towards the naturist side, you’re completely shielded from view.
And the other reason?
— The site. The name Tredenborg refers to a fortress that may once have stood there in the Viking Age, and those fortresses were often circular. So the history of the place and the function of the building both pointed the same way.
What has that form given the building?
— It’s produced a generous, welcoming building that is also robust. The deep roof overhang creates a play of light and shadow and offers space for both contemplation and shelter. The form delivers function and adds to the experience of bathing.
That sounds good.
— I almost forgot the most important part.
Oh?
— Sölvesborg doesn’t have many iconic buildings. It really has one: the Courthouse by Gunnar Asplund.
Go on…
— It’s a pared-back building with an arched portal, and the town adores it. The motif recurs on the railway station and on a recent pedestrian and cycle bridge. The town architect made it clear that this is the way to Sölvesborg’s heart — so the rounded entrance to the cold bath house is no accident.
The name Tredenborg refers to a fortress that may once have stood there in the Viking Age, and those fortresses were often circular. So the history of the place and the function of the building both pointed the same way.
— Johanna Saleryd
