Sliac Spa - Mineral springs
The Sliač spa has been known for over 750 years for the healing qualities of its mineral waters. The oldest reference to the spa at Sliač dates back to 1244, i.e. the reign of king Belo IV. On the spots where from time immemorial there had been a spring of warm thermal water, in the old days there was a plain hole used by women to soak linen. After a serendipitous discovery, whereby a woman suffering from hydrops had her swollen legs cured, the local people started to use the water for baths. Their numbers grew from year to year, spreading the news of the Sliač springs‘ healing nature. The spa‘s most characteristic natural phenomenon are travertine minerals, whose presence has to do with local eruptions of mineral waters. Successful therapy at Sliač is centred around these mineral springs, with the Kúpeľný prameň being the most important and powerful in therapeutic terms. The remaining four springs are less rich, and are used for general consumption of mineral water. There are just three other locations in the world with a composition of healing mineral water similar to that of Kúpeľný prameň (Argentina, Australia, Spain).
The main springs at Sliač include:
Kúpeľný prameň - (Spa Spring) erupts directly underneath the Kúpeľný dom (Spa House), and is, without any additional artificial treatment of the water, used for all sorts of medical purposes. Its water contains sulphates, carbohydrates, magnesium and calcium, as well as a high level of carbon dioxide, with an isothermic temperature of 33.3 centigrades. The spring‘s output is about 5 litres of water and 10 litres of spring gas per second.
Štefánik - is the coldest spring (12 centigrades). It has a high content of carbon dioxide and pharmacologically active iron. It is suitable for stimulating digestion and treating anaemia. As early as the second half of the 19th century, its water was bottled and sold all across the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It is the most popular of the springs, its water being mildly mineralized, hypotonic, carbonic, containing carbohydrates, calcium and iron.
Bystrica - has a temperature of 23 centigrades and is recommended for treating stomach disorders. Its original name is Dorotha, after the wife of palatine Joseph of Habsburg.
Lenkey - with a temperature of 22.5 centigrades and a high content of iodine, is recommended for treatment of eyes and the thyroid gland. In the past its fumes caused sudden deaths of birds and animals in the vicinity. Before surface modifications were carried out, the fumes were highly toxic and hazardous, as the spring was gushing out in the enclosed space of a small cave, producing a strong concentration of carbon dioxide. The spring was eventually altered in 1834 by Acacius Lenkey, a natural scientist and admirer of the Sliač nature.
Adam - has a temperature of 23 centigrades. Its water is used for treating dysfunctions of the bladder and for enteritis. It is the only spring whose water does not flow out continuously but rather erupts in regular intervals. It is named after a chancellor of the imperial court, Adam Revický, who had it refurbished in 1831 using money from the government. In the direct vicinity of the spring there is St. Hildegarde‘s Chapel, built in a Classicist style in 1855.
The main springs at Sliač include:
Kúpeľný prameň - (Spa Spring) erupts directly underneath the Kúpeľný dom (Spa House), and is, without any additional artificial treatment of the water, used for all sorts of medical purposes. Its water contains sulphates, carbohydrates, magnesium and calcium, as well as a high level of carbon dioxide, with an isothermic temperature of 33.3 centigrades. The spring‘s output is about 5 litres of water and 10 litres of spring gas per second.
Štefánik - is the coldest spring (12 centigrades). It has a high content of carbon dioxide and pharmacologically active iron. It is suitable for stimulating digestion and treating anaemia. As early as the second half of the 19th century, its water was bottled and sold all across the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It is the most popular of the springs, its water being mildly mineralized, hypotonic, carbonic, containing carbohydrates, calcium and iron.
Bystrica - has a temperature of 23 centigrades and is recommended for treating stomach disorders. Its original name is Dorotha, after the wife of palatine Joseph of Habsburg.
Lenkey - with a temperature of 22.5 centigrades and a high content of iodine, is recommended for treatment of eyes and the thyroid gland. In the past its fumes caused sudden deaths of birds and animals in the vicinity. Before surface modifications were carried out, the fumes were highly toxic and hazardous, as the spring was gushing out in the enclosed space of a small cave, producing a strong concentration of carbon dioxide. The spring was eventually altered in 1834 by Acacius Lenkey, a natural scientist and admirer of the Sliač nature.
Adam - has a temperature of 23 centigrades. Its water is used for treating dysfunctions of the bladder and for enteritis. It is the only spring whose water does not flow out continuously but rather erupts in regular intervals. It is named after a chancellor of the imperial court, Adam Revický, who had it refurbished in 1831 using money from the government. In the direct vicinity of the spring there is St. Hildegarde‘s Chapel, built in a Classicist style in 1855.