Great Spa Towns of Europe

Last updated
The Great Spa Towns of Europe
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Roman Baths in Bath Spa, England - July 2006.jpg
The Roman Baths in Bath, England, one of the spa towns within the World Heritage Site
Location Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, United Kingdom
IncludesEleven spa towns in Europe
Criteria Cultural: (ii)(iii)
Reference 1613
Inscription2021 (44th Session)
Area7,014 ha (17,330 acres)
Buffer zone11,319 ha (27,970 acres)

The Great Spa Towns of Europe is a transnational World Heritage Site consisting of a selection of 11 spa towns across seven European countries. They were developed around natural mineral water springs. [1] [2] From the early 18th century to the 1930s, Western Europe experienced an increase in spa and bathing culture, leading to the construction of elaborate bath houses. [1] These would often include gardens, casinos, theatres, and villas surrounding the springs and the bath houses. [1] [3]

Contents

Nomination

The city of Bath was originally inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1987. [4]

The efforts to get the Great Spas of Europe onto the World Heritage List began in 2012, and the nomination was submitted in 2019. [5] On 24 July 2021, the Great Spas of Europe was officially inscribed on the World Heritage List. [2]

List of spa towns

TownCountry ID [6] Picture
Baden bei Wien Flag of Austria.svg  Austria 1613-001 Baden Panorama 01.jpg
Spa Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium 1613-002 Spa JPG01.jpg
Františkovy Lázně Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czech Republic 1613-003 Frantiskovy Lazne sfinga.jpg
Karlovy Vary Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czech Republic 1613-004 Mlynska kolonada (02).jpg
Mariánské Lázně Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czech Republic 1613-005 Marienbad (CZ) Kolonaden.JPG
Vichy Flag of France.svg  France 1613-006 Vichy aujourd hui.jpg
Bad Ems Flag of Germany.svg  Germany 1613-007 Bad ems.jpg
Baden-Baden Flag of Germany.svg  Germany 1613-008 Baden-Baden 10-2015 img05 View from Merkur.jpg
Bad Kissingen Flag of Germany.svg  Germany 1613-009 Badkissingen.jpg
Montecatini Terme Flag of Italy.svg  Italy 1613-010 Montecatini Alto.jpg
Bath Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 1613-011 Roman Baths c1900 2.jpg

Maps

The Great Spa Towns of Europe
Great Spa Towns of Europe
This is a stopgap mapping solution, while attempts are made to resolve technical difficulties with {{ OSM Location map }}

The Great Spa Towns of Europe
1
Baden bei Wien
2
Spa
3
Františkovy Lázně
4
Karlovy Vary
5
Mariánské Lázně
6
Vichy
7
Bad Ems
8
Baden-Baden
9
Bad Kissingen
10
Montecatini Terme
11
Bath

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bath, Somerset</span> City in Somerset, England

Bath is a city and unparished area in the Bath and North East Somerset unitary area in the ceremonial county of Somerset, England, known for and named after its Roman-built baths. At the 2021 Census, the population was 101,557. Bath is in the valley of the River Avon, 97 miles (156 km) west of London and 11 miles (18 km) southeast of Bristol. The city became a World Heritage Site in 1987, and was later added to the transnational World Heritage Site known as the "Great Spa Towns of Europe" in 2021. Bath is also the largest city and settlement in Somerset.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">World Heritage Site</span> Place of significance listed by UNESCO

A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, scientific or other forms of significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding value to humanity".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spa, Belgium</span> City in Wallonia, Belgium

Spa is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium, whose name became an eponym for mineral baths with supposed curative properties. It is situated in a valley in the Ardennes mountains 35 km (22 mi) south-east of Liège and 45 km (28 mi) south-west of Aachen. In 2006, Spa had a population of 10,543 and an area of 39.85 km2 (15.39 sq mi), giving a population density of 265/km2 (690/sq mi).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bad Ems</span> Town in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany

Bad Ems is a town in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Rhein-Lahn rural district and is well known as a spa on the river Lahn. Bad Ems was the seat of Bad Ems collective municipality, which has been merged into the Bad Ems-Nassau collective municipality. The town has around 9,000 inhabitants.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "The Great Spa Towns of Europe". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
  2. 1 2 "Five sites in the Arab and Europe regions inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
  3. Nomination of the Great Spas of Europe for inclusion on the World Heritage List (Report). United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. Retrieved 21 August 2021.
  4. "Bath another step closer to second World Heritage listing". somersetlive.co.uk. 7 June 2021. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  5. "11 European cities nominate The Great Spas of Europe for UNESCO World Heritage List". sheritagetribune.eu. 30 January 2019. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  6. "The Great Spa Towns of Europe : Multiple locations". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 5 July 2021.