The Great Spa Towns of Europe
UNESCO World Heritage Site
The Roman Baths in Bath, England, one of the spa towns within the World Heritage Site
LocationAustria, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, United Kingdom
IncludesEleven spa towns in Europe
CriteriaCultural: (ii)(iii)
Reference1613
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]

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

Town Country ID[6] Picture
Baden bei Wien  Austria 1613-001
Spa  Belgium 1613-002
Františkovy Lázně  Czech Republic 1613-003
Karlovy Vary  Czech Republic 1613-004
Mariánské Lázně  Czech Republic 1613-005
Vichy  France 1613-006
Bad Ems  Germany 1613-007
Baden-Baden  Germany 1613-008
Bad Kissingen  Germany 1613-009
Montecatini Terme  Italy 1613-010
Bath  United Kingdom 1613-011

Map

The Great Spa Towns of Europe
500km
300miles
none
11
10
9
8
7
6
5.
4.
3
2
1
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

References

  1. ^ a b c "The Great Spa Towns of Europe". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "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.

External links

The Great Spa Towns of Europe
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