The Therapeutic and Recreational Spa Landscape
A distinctive aspect of The Great Spa Towns of Europe is that the urban space connects physically and visually to a picturesque setting of idealised nature — magnificent scenery, hills or mountains, attractive views, water and trees.
These contribute to a ‘sense of place’ and this includes feelings of warmth, identity, rootedness and authenticity. At the same time, complex cultural values are associated with landscape around spa towns including the role of landscape as a contribution to ‘taking the cure’.
The setting variously contributes to the distinctive character of the whole property, and the landscape setting can add drama and ‘background’ to the spa town.
The Healing Effect of the Sublime
As the late eighteenth century Romantic movement became established, an appreciation of the aesthetics of landscapes encouraged a greater value to be placed on dramatic or picturesque landscapes.
While nature was previously considered untamed and wild, the spa towns have vistas, buildings and spaces that allowed visitors to view nature, These structures connect visually with their picturesque setting of idealised nature, contributing to the feeling of the sublime.
Most of the towns within The Great Spa Towns of Europe have similar locations, lying in a river valley below high ground or below a steep edge of a plateau.
Paths and Trails
In many of The Great Spa Towns of Europe, avenues and promenades lead from the springs to gardens and kurparks and then onwards via pathways into the surrounding countryside.
Walking networks of formal park-like pathways are seen across the towns. In Baden bei Wien, the paths were waymarked to indicate which one was appropriate for the condition of the patients.
Woodland trails are as popular today as they ever were. Spa has the oldest of the routes — the Tour des Fontains was created in 1749 to connect all the important springs within the gently sloping forests that surround the town.
Karlovy Vary has 130km of historic therapeutic trails that were laid out on the wooded hillsides over 100 years ago, while Františkovy Lázně has a triple belt of parks which is crossed by many kilometers of walks on relatively level ground.
More strenuous, steep trails ascend high hills, rocky hillsides and cliffs. For the less able, a donkey or funicular railway might have been chosen to join others at hilltop restaurants and scenic overlooks. The funicular railway in Montecatini Terme is a famed example, with the red carriages scaling through the green olive groves.
Riverside Walks
Gentle riverside walks are also a part of spa town life, especially when the warm springs bubble up beneath the river bed. In Karlovy Vary, The River Teplá (which translates to ‘warm’ in Czech) never freezes, even in the harshest winters!
Some rivers, such as the River Lahn in Bad Ems, were once highways for spa guests, long before the railways arrived. They are still popular with river cruises today.
Rivers (and their bridges) are a picturesque feature in The Great Spa Towns of Europe and they both constrained and influenced the placement of many spa buildings. Some rivers have been modified to enhance the ‘natural’ spa environment, such as the River Allier in Vichy, providing a new dimension for water sports.
Sports facilities, such as golf, tennis, horse riding and other activities, are also part of the wider spa provision. In several cases, they were the first courses and courts to appear in their respective countries.
Besides the healing aspect, and meeting other spa guests, tourists went out to the surrounding landscapes to visit monuments, ruins and natural phenomena.
The views that people would have across the natural and cultural landscape were key to planning the spa towns — and remain important today.
