The Great Spa Towns of Europe
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How it came to be
Spa culture peaked from the early 18th century to the 1930s, giving 11 towns in seven countries their bath houses, casinos, theatres and promenades. The Belgian town of Spa, called Aquae Spadanae by the Romans, is thought to have given resorts their name.
Napoleon III's stays in Vichy between 1861 and 1866 reshaped the town, which gained a casino in 1865. Bad Ems in Germany hosted Emperor Wilhelm I and Fyodor Dostoevsky. The 11 towns were inscribed together in 2021.
Travellers who came here
- 1786-09
On 3 September he stole out at 3 in the morning so that his friends at the spa could not detain him, and set off alone in a post-chaise with only a portmanteau and a knapsack.
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