In this Finnish sauna in the German Alps article we will take a look at a barrel sauna located in the German Alps. I also tell you about my own sauna journey and how I ended up buying my own sauna wagon. I chose the name SISU-SAUNA, because it’s just part of our Finnish identity.
Things tend to work out…
Sometimes you just have to say things out loud and things start to happen.
Or something bad has to happen first and then the next thing happens. I could very well write a post about this. Pooh.
I was at a friend’s house in the middle of March and I said out loud: I need my own sauna. The friend told me about a place in Oberreute that has a sauna area. I thought it would be great if I bought a sauna wagon and found a place to rent where I could have Finnish sauna evenings.
On Sunday I first started looking at Finnish sauna trailers on Tori.fi but none of them really clicked.
I went to the German website of the same kind, ebay-kleinanzeigen. And lo and behold, there was a barrel sauna wagon for sale, and on top of that in a neighboring village 5 km away.
Coincidentally, I knew this sauna, I had even taken a sauna in it. We had a saunawassermarathon event in autumn 2022 where we had this particular sauna.
I called the sellers on Monday and wanted to get another look at the sauna. However, another anxious buyer showed up at the sauna car who was willing to buy the sauna car without looking at it.
So I had to make a decision on Tuesday in the middle of the working day.
On Wednesday I went to see the sauna caravan and it still looked good.
The previous owners had the sauna caravan in rental use and so I got the sauna caravan after two months.
SISU-SAUNA
The name of the barrel sauna was changed to SISU-SAUNA. It speaks of Finnish perseverance as well as of my own sauna path, which I have been following for many years.
My own sauna path has perhaps not been as straightforward or easy as one might imagine. I won’t go into the details now, but I can say that it hasn’t been easy.
So that’s why SISU-SAUNA is a great name for my sauna.
SISU-SAUNA will be used for rental purposes as well as for my own sauna events.
You can read between the lines, yes. I’ve found a place to rent with showers, toilets and refreshment facilities as well as its own sauna. And can you imagine it’s the place my friend mentioned back in March?
Things have a way of working out – true here again.
Many also said that better things are to come. I just couldn’t believe it.
SUOMI, SAUNA, SISU
Sisu is part of the Finnish national identity.
In the beginning there was Swamp, Hog and Jussi, and it is about the sisu of the Finns. The natural conditions in Finland were more difficult than in other countries. In the beginning, there was indeed nothing but a swamp, which had to be dug by hand with a slag heap.
During the clearing period, the Finns developed an entrepreneurial spirit and a spirit of toil that defied the forces of nature.
In the early decades of the 20th century, Finnish Olympic athletes were, I would say, invincible because they won the most medals per capita.
The concept of sisu also became familiar during the Winter War. The desperate battle against Russia made the rest of the world talk about Finnish sisu.
In a tight place, sisu says: it seems impossible, but let’s try anyway. And then you try – and you win. So wrote Sakari Pälsi.
The word sisu is almost as well known as the word sauna. Because sisu cannot be translated into other languages with a single word, sisu is also known abroad.
The word sauna is known abroad and the word sauna has only been translated in a few countries such as Sweden, Russia and Estonia.
It is said that the word sauna is more than 2000 years old.
So when you’re on the go in southern Germany, it’s possible to get a real Finnish sauna. You can rent a sauna for your own use in your own yard or you can rent a place for an hourly rate or you can participate in the open sauna events I organize from time to time.
If you found this Finnish sauna in the German Alps article interesting please leave a comment.
Regards Sauna-Kati
