AESTHETIC ASSESSMENT OF THERMAL SPRINGS OF THE TYUMEN REGION

Abstract

Thermal waters are the most valuable resource for the Tyumen region along with hydrocarbons, and they have a considerable potential for use. At the present stage, the practice of using groundwaters as thermal springs has reached its maximum positions, the region has 23 sanatoriumresort and recreational facilities where thermal waters are used for recreational and wellness purposes. Of particular interest for tourists are thermal springs in the open air, where the temperature regime of the water allows for water procedures under all weather conditions. The article presents a method of aesthetic evaluation of thermal springs of the Tyumen region which is based on conservative signs of assessing the landscape diversity and landscape expressiveness of the view from a hot pool. Moreover, there are presented methodological developments for assessing the improvement of hot springs thatreflect the nature of the transition from the near to the distant landscape view, the potential possibilities of enriching the landscape, the degree of modernity of the site. For each criterion, there was developed a scoring scale (0–2 points). 13 objects (recreation centers) from 7 municipalities of the region were used as representative research sites where the aesthetic properties of the surrounding landscape were evaluated from two key points. The results of the study demonstrate that the score-based differentiation of the aesthetic attractiveness of landscapes makes it possible to objectively assess the visual environment of the territory of hot springs, to rank the landscapes of recreation centers by aesthetic value as low-, medium-, and high-value landscapes, and to identify general trends in the arrangement of hot spring facilities.