The Great Spa Towns of Europe

• Official name: The Great Spa Towns of Europe
• Location: Baden bei Wien, Austria; Spa, Belgium; Františkovy Lázně, Karlovy Vary, and Mariánské Lázně, Czech Republic; Vichy, France; Bad Ems, Baden-Baden, and Bad Kissingen, Germany; Montecatini Terme, Italy; and Bath, United Kingdom
• Type: Cultural
• Year of inscription: 2021

The Great Spa Towns of Europe is a single World Heritage Site made up of eleven different historic spa towns or cities located in seven countries. These include Baden bei Wien (Austria); Spa (Belgium); Františkovy Lázně, Karlovy Vary, and Mariánské Lázně (Czech Republic); Vichy (France); Bad Ems, Baden-Baden, and Bad Kissingen (Germany); Montecatini Terme (Italy); and Bath (United Kingdom). The complete collection of towns and cities was named a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site in 2021.

Spa towns were popular in the early eighteenth century up until the 1930s. They featured natural mineral water springs used for bathing. In addition, the towns often had elaborate bathhouses, gardens, casinos, theaters, and luxurious housing. Spa towns in Western Europe became a cultural phenomenon that shaped not only society but architecture as well. The waters were often known for their curative properties, and it became fashionable to “take the waters” of these various spa towns.

History

Baden bei Wien

Baden bei Wein is the capital city of the Baden District just south of Vienna, Austria. It dates back to the Roman Empire and still contains ancient ruins of the Roman town. It was built in St. Helena Valley near the Schwechat River and Mount Calvary where hot springs can be found. A church was built in the area in the eleventh century, and the castles Rauheneck and Rauhenstein were built a century later on opposite sides of the river bank. In 1812, the town was devasted by a fire but was rebuilt. The lavish Château Weilburg was constructed in 1820 but was later destroyed during World War II. When the railway connected the town to Vienna and Graz in the nineteenth century, it became a popular tourist destination. The town featured hot springs, pools, bathhouses, hotels, theaters, and a casino. The German composer and pianist Ludwig van Beethoven was known to visit often, and his residences have become historic sites.

Spa

Spa can be found in Wallonia in the province of Liege, Belgium. Since the fourteenth century it has been known to be a place with healing waters, and it gave rise to the term spa. The name initially referred to its famous sparkling water described by Roman author Pliny the Elder in the first century. It later became popular with royalty as a place of healing, and was also known for iron and steel exports. By the eighteenth century, it became a tourist destination with casinos and railway connections. During World War I, the German Army had its headquarters in Spa, and during World War II, it was also occupied by the Germans.

Františkovy Lázně

Františkovy Lázně in the Karlovy Vary Region in the Czech Republic. The popularity of the many spring waters in this town date back to the late fourteenth century. By the eighteenth century, the water was being exported and an inn was built to welcome travelers. In 1793, the town was founded under the name Kaiser Franzendorf, but was later simply known as Franzenbad. Famous visitors included poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Beethoven, composer Johann Strauss, and many in the nobility. By the nineteenth century, the town offered peat pulp baths. A public bathing house was built in 1827. After World War II, the town became part of the new Czechoslovakia and was given its Czech name.

Karlovy Vary

Karlovy Vary is also located in the Karlovy Vary Region in the Czech Republic next to Františkovy Lázně. Humans have lived in the area since the Bronze Age, but the city’s name comes from the King of Bohemia, Charles IV, who founded the modern city in the fourteenth century after his leg was supposedly healed by the waters from a spring. In the nineteenth century, the town became a spa resort that was popular with tourists and aristocrats. Although the town lost some popularity throughout the world wars, it was revitalized in later years.

Mariánské Lázně

Mariánské Lázně, is also located in the Czech Republic’s Karlovy Vary Region. It was settled by Germans during the twelfth century, but the spa town was not established until the mid-nineteenth century. A local abbey physician was said to have demonstrated the curative properties of waters from the local springs, making it popular with European spa-goers. By the twentieth century, the town was exporting about a million bottles of mineral water annually. Buildings and a railway connection to Cheb were built to attract visitors. It remained a popular spa town throughout both World Wars.

Vichy

Vichy is a central French city on the banks of the river Allier in the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes region. It was thought to be settled by the Romans in the mid-first century. In the early fifteenth century, a monastery was founded in the city, and the “curative” waters of the area became popular with aristocrats and nobility. By the time of King Charles X in the early nineteenth century, hydrotherapeutic facilities were expanded and recreational buildings and extensive accommodations were made for visitors. During World War II, it remained occupied by the French State under German occupation. Following the war years, it became popular with wealthy North African French tourists.

Bad Ems

Bad Ems is a spa town in Rhineland Pfalz, Germany, on the River Lahn. A military outpost was known to have been built during the reign of the Roman Empire, and the town was chartered in 1324. By the eighteenth century, it was one of Germany’s most popular springs resort towns. It became popular with the nobility in the nineteenth century. Bad Ems became part of history in 1870 when it became the starting point of the Franco-Prussian War.

Baden-Baden

Baden-Baden is in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, on the edge of the Black Forest and the River Oos. The town was a Roman settlement during the Roman Empire and ruins of Roman baths remain. It gained popularity in the late eighteenth century when it served as a refuge for exiles of the French Revolution. Later, the waters became popular with nobility and luxury amenities were built. It suffered damage from bombing during World War II and was the headquarters of the French occupation forces in Germany following the war.

Bad Kissingen

Bad Kissingen is in the Bavarian region of Germany. As early as the first century, historical records make note of its mineral springs. The town was formed in the thirteenth century, and by the sixteenth century, it was known as a spa attracting visitors to take its waters. In the nineteenth century, it became fashionable with nobility and wealthy travelers. In the twentieth century, it became more popular with middle-class tourists. It was occupied by American military forces after World War II.

Montecatini Terme

Montecatini Terme is located in Tuscany, Italy, and has long been known as a spa town. Evidence of human settlement dates to pre-Roman times. The mineral waters became very popular during the Middle Ages for their rumored healing properties. This popularity extended into the twentieth century when the town was given the name Montecatini Terme in 1928.

Bath

Bath is a large city in Somerset County, England, in the valley of the River Avon. During the Roman Empire, bathing pools were built there, but evidence of human settlement dates back further to the Bronze and Iron Ages. It remained an established city during the Middle Ages and was rebuilt in the early sixteenth century. During World War II, it was heavily damaged by German bombings, which claimed significant casualties. Bath was rebuilt postwar, and by the 1970s, conservation efforts began. It was selected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987 for its hot springs, Roman and Georgian architectural remains, and beautiful landscape.

In 2012, efforts were made to include the other significant spa towns and cities in Europe, and the nomination for the complete list was made in 2019. In 2021, all eleven historic spa towns were officially inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as a single multi-national site, making Bath a rare, double-nominated UNESCO site.

Significance

The Great Spa Towns of Europe exemplify the fashionable European spa experience that was most popular from the early eighteenth century to the mid-twentieth century. Even though each town or city is district from the others, they all feature natural mineral waters that attract visitors for their therapeutic, social, and recreational benefits. Buildings which housed spa and recreation facilities, such as baths, pump rooms, drinking halls, colonnades, hotels, casinos, theaters, parks, gardens, and villas are all architecturally significant.

These collective towns were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site to preserve the culturally important European spa phenomenon both in form and function. UNESCO World Heritage Sites must meet at least one of ten established selection criteria. The site meets criterion (ii) because it exhibits “an important interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a cultural area of the world.” It also meets criteria (iii) as it “bears exceptional testimony” to the longstanding European practice of visiting “healing” spas—a practice that began in antiquity and continued into the modern era.

Each location of this site has its attributes that make it worthy of UNESCO World Heritage status. They have each maintained their natural mineral springs and authentic spa architecture, and the well-known spa towns continue to be visited by visitors from all over the world. Because of the popularity of these towns and their hot springs as tourist destinations, efforts to preserve and protect the natural waters and historic landmarks are continuously evolving.

Bibliography

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“The Great Spa Towns of Europe.” UNESCO World Heritage Convention, 24 July 2021, whc.unesco.org/en/list/1613. Accessed 20 Nov. 2024.

O’Sullivan, Feargus. “A Cross-Continental Recognition for the Spa Towns of Europe.” Historic Bloomberg, 29 July 2021, www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2021-07-30/europe-s-spa-towns-aren-t-just-vacation-spots. Accessed 20 Nov. 2024.

Sherrin, Harry. “The Top Historic Spa Towns to Visit in Europe.” Canal & River Trust, 3 Dec. 2021, www.historyhit.com/guides/historic-spa-towns-in-europe. Accessed 20 Nov. 2024.

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“Welcome to the Great Spa Towns of Europe.” Great Spa Towns of Europe, www.pontcysyllte-aqueduct.co.uk. Accessed 20 Nov. 2024.