Observations on the Spas of the Adige District in the Summer of 1829

Appendix.

Observations on the Spas of the Adige District during the Summer of 1829. 1/2

If I venture, like the correspondent on the Bohemian spas in the supplements to the Allgemeine Zeitung, to report annually to the domestic public on the baths of the district to which I have belonged for years through official duties, may the public indulgently accept these accounts, considering that they enrich the knowledge of local conditions and nurture a spirit of useful endeavor.

For the friend of the fatherland in general, and for anyone whose direct or indirect duty is the relief or removal of human bodily suffering, it is truly gratifying to observe how, regarding the spas—these invaluable natural and artificial institutions against that multitude of afflictions—a movement toward improvement, comfort, and neatness has gradually taken root in these valleys, and how the appreciation of those seeking help rewards those who dedicate themselves to such noble efforts for the benefit of their suffering fellow citizens.

One hears and observes at most of these spa locations that from year to year the buildings are substantially beautified inside and out, built more solidly, and furnished more comfortably; that cleanliness—a virtue not very common in our mountainous region, with the exception of certain inns and private residences—is beneficially spreading through guest quarters, bath chambers, and dining tables; that efforts are made to meet the large influx of guests by constructing new, comfortable premises, to attract them by improving access paths leading across steep mountain slopes, wooded plateau areas, or valley bottoms dominated by torrents, and to lovingly support visitors in their recovery by laying out comfortable, shaded walks in these expansive natural parks.

Even the number of such establishments increases from time to time; formerly frequented and then abandoned spas have recently been reopened and fitted out for the sick; entirely new springs, some used previously and some only recently discovered, have been developed; thus the district resident finds such places of relief ready for his healing reception mostly at short distances from home; this also benefits visitors from neighboring districts or distant regions once they have reached this district.

The public seeks variety in all matters of interest, and spa visiting is no exception; a single establishment improves markedly, physicians patronize it for various reasons, word spreads that many are traveling there, and others follow; then suddenly the trend shifts again, and public inclination moves in narrower or wider circles, settling temporarily now here, now there, for longer or shorter periods, only to move on again. Some locations that in themselves deserve greater attention receive little favor, partly through their own fault, partly by mere chance.

To visit a spa as a patient—unless one is willing to undermine the curative power through privations or financial anxieties—one requires some cash and consequently favorable economic times; but complaints about hard times and the devaluation of agricultural products are all too common. On the other hand, visiting a spa requires fine, warm weather; yet the summer in the Adige valley, otherwise so bright, dry, and scorching in the broad plains, proved so unfriendly, gloomy, rainy, and cool last year that even those who fled to the mountain heights to escape the heat froze in their summer lodgings; how dreadful it must have been for the patient, already reduced in bodily warmth by illness, to sit for hours in bathing tubs, especially in rooms where poorly maintained walls or ill-fitting windows allowed free entry to light and air, but equally free escape to the bath vapors.

It is no wonder, therefore, that far fewer sufferers were able or willing to visit the many district spas last year than was the case in earlier years and favorable summers, even if some of this year's guest lists may have been drawn up with some ostentation.

Yet enough of generalities; a few remarks on individual spas shall follow.

The crown regarding visitor numbers was won once again by Mitterbad in Ulten, which far outpaced all the others. Are people gradually becoming so much weaker that so many feel compelled to seek help—and likely find it—at this strong chalybeate spring? To be sure, occasional complaints were heard regarding unsatisfactory or even disadvantageous effects of this bath. Neighboring districts endowed with good healing springs, the provincial capital, and the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia all sent visitors to the spa; in any case, the excellent service, the lively and cheerful social life, the remarkable valley in which it lies, the improved access roads, and the proximity of the excellent Rabbi acidulous spring on the Nonsberg, from where it is constantly delivered fresh and unaltered, all combine to earn and maintain such flattering recognition.

(To be concluded.)