Pregledni rad
https://doi.org/10.21857/ygjwrc2xly
HEALING WATER NICHES AND LAUNDRY PLACES HISTORICAL - ARCHITECTURAL AND BALNEOLOGICAL HERITAGE OF THE VARAŽDINSKE TOPLICE
Spomenka Vlahović
orcid.org/0000-0001-8630-001X
Sažetak
The paper brings new data from the museum - archival documentation of the
Local history museum of Varaždinske Toplice, important for the presentation and
professional interpretation of the preserved water niches and old laundry places
in the narrower centar of the cultural - historical and protected core of Varaždi-
Toplice, which today are one of the main symbols of the rich spa history.
Sulfuric thermal water from prehistory to the present is one of the primordial
and most significant symbols, but also the main driver of the economic development
of Varaždinske Toplice. The element of thermal healing water is present in
the preserved cultural-historical core of the city at every step in the architectural
form, but also in the function of various historical buildings, and especially in
the specific form of construction, ambient, traditional-balneological imprint in the
form of interesting balneological architecture, so - called water niches and laundry
places. In both spa historical zone in the so-called „Upper place“ and „Bottom
place“ where today the specific facilities are located and are still in use, and since
time immemorial they have occupied a particularly important place in the memory
of the residents of Toplica, not only because of the possibility of free access to
the use and taking of thermal water for everday use, but also as special cult zones,
meeting, socializing and information exchange zones.
During the research carried out from 2022 - 2023 in the collections and documentation
of the said Museum, it was realized that over the years an important
museum database of various historical, traditional, architectural, balneological, as
well as concervation and restoration data, wich can greatly contribute to better
knowledge, has been collected, but also the interpretation and the necessary popularization
of the specific cultural and historical heritage of Varaždinske Toplice.
This paper therefore has the basic goal of providing expert information on
thermal spas and laundries, because as far as we know, not a single professional
paper has been published on the mentioned topic that would fully present the
public with thermal facilities related to the use of healing thermal water. It should be pointed out that all historical spa facilities today get their thermal water from
the heart of the ancient Roman settlement of Aquae Iasae from a preserved Roman
catch basin in which thermal water with a temperature of 58 °C naturally
collects and cools in an open space in an identical way as in antiquity using open
air currents, which is only the second such known archaeological example of a fully
preserved functional pool for collecting and cooling healing water from ancient
archeology.
For the first time, the work presents valuable historical and new heritage data,
as well as other museum and interesting scientific knowledge that was obtained
through research in the documentation of the Local historical museum of Varaždinske
Toplice, the Special hospital for medical rehabilitation of Varaždinske Toplice,
and the official archive of the City of Varaždinske Toplice.
Ključne riječi
healing water niches; laundry places; thermal water; balneological architecture; tradition of using thermal water; geological imprint of water.
Hrčak ID:
312844
URI
Datum izdavanja:
15.12.2023.
Posjeta: 244 *