Spa, Belgium
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Spa
Spå (Walloon) | |
---|---|
Arrondissement | Verviers |
Government | |
• Mayor | Sophie Delettre (MR) |
• Governing party/ies | MR |
Area | |
• Total | 39.85 km2 (15.39 sq mi) |
Population (2018-01-01)[1] | |
• Total | 10,378 |
• Density | 260/km2 (670/sq mi) |
Postal codes | 4900 |
NIS code | 63072 |
Area codes | 087 |
Website | www.villedespa.be |
The Great Spa Towns of Europe | |
Criteria | Cultural: (ii)(iii) |
Reference | 1613 |
Inscription | 2021 (44th Session) |
Spa (French pronunciation: [spa] ⓘ; Walloon: Spå) is a city and municipality of Wallonia in the province of Liège, Belgium, whose name became an eponym for mineral baths with supposed curative properties. It is in a valley in the Ardennes mountains 35 km (22 mi) south-east of Liège and 45 km (28 mi) south-west of Aachen. In 2006, Spa had a population of 10,543 and an area of 39.85 km2 (15.39 sq mi), giving a population density of 265/km2 (690/sq mi).
Spa is one of Belgium's most popular tourist destinations, being renowned for its natural
In 2021, Spa became part of the transnational UNESCO World Heritage Site the Great Spa Towns of Europe, for its famous mineral springs and architectural testimony to the rise of European bathing culture in the 18th and 19th centuries.[3][4]
Toponymy
Among the various hypotheses put forward as to the etymological origin of the name Spa is that of "gushing spring", from the Latin sparsa meaning "scattered" and "gushing", past participle of spargere ("scatter", "sprinkle" or "moisten").[5][6] Another connects the word to the meaning of "free space", from the Walloon spâ and from the Latin spatia, plural of spatium.[5]
The place has been known since
The term Spa has since become eponymous with any place having a natural water source that is believed to possess special health-giving properties, known as a spa.
History
Pre-20th century
As the site of cold springs with alleged healing properties, Spa has been frequented as a "water-taking" place since classical antiquity. Pliny the Elder (died 79 CE) noted, "There is a famous spring in Tungri, a state of Gaul, whose water, sparkling with bubbles, has a ferruginous taste that is only noticeable when the drink is finished. This water purges the body, cures third-grade fevers and dispels calculous affections. The same water, put on the fire, becomes cloudy and eventually turns red." (C lib. XXXI VIII)[9]
The
As early as 1547, Agustino, physician to the King of England, Henry VIII, stayed in Spa and helped give knowledge to the world of the value of the Spa water. In 1559, Gilbert Lymborh wrote of "acid fountains of the Ardennes forest and primarily those located in Spa". It was translated into Latin, Italian and Spanish. In July 1565, the gentry of the provinces met in Spa under the pretext of taking the waters. At the hotel "Aux Armes d’Angleterre", those present agreed to oppose the edicts of Philip II as austere and intolerant; this led to the historic 1566 "Compromise of Nobles". In 1654, the stay of the exiled pretender to the English throne, Prince Charles, brought even greater fame to Spa. From 1699, a postal system was set up between Spa and the outside world.[citation needed]
Since the 18th century, casinos have been located in Spa.[10] The town continued to grow as a fashionable resort in the 19th century, and was extended during the reign of King Leopold II. Buildings such as the Thermal Baths (1868), the Pouhon Peter the Great (1880), and the Leopold II Gallery (1880) date from this period.
20th century
During
The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps was established in 1921, in the vicinity of Spa. Despite its name, the racetrack has never been located within Spa: it is instead in the nearby town of Stavelot.[13]
World War II saw Spa reoccupied by the Germans, but the town escaped the Battle of the Bulge in 1945 that stopped, luckily for Spa, right at its gates. The Marshall Plan helped Belgium to recover quickly. In the 1950s and 1960s, mass tourism gradually developed, diminishing Spa's reliance on the elite as customers. These were decades of social tourism as well, with an increasingly large number of Flemish and Dutch customers, while the Walloons went en masse to the Belgian coast in Flanders. Relaxation tourism replaced the thermal aspect of Spa.[citation needed]
The 1980s and 1990s heralded the start of a renewal of the infrastructure and influence of Spa. On 17 May 1983, to mark the 400th anniversary of the export of Spa waters, HM King Baudouin visited the new facilities of the Spa Monopole SA, the Henrijean Hydrology Institute and the Thermal Establishment.[14] In 1994, a new French song festival started: Les Francofolies de Spa.[15] In 1997, the area of Spa-Bérinzenne opened the Regional Center for Initiation to the Environment, one of whose specialties is water.[16]
21st century
The old Thermal Baths were closed in 2004. In 2005, a new thermal center, Thermoludism, opened on the Annette and Lubin hill with panoramic views of the city. It is directly linked by funicular to the heart of the city and a new luxury hotel.
In 2007, the Spa-Francorchamps circuit completely renewed its infrastructure to comply with the best international standards, allowing it to continue to host the annual Belgian Formula One Grand Prix 1, in addition to many other annual sporting events.[13]
Geography and geology
Spa is located on the borders of the Ardennes massif, at the gateway to the High Fens in the Wayai valley. The city center is surrounded by three wooded hills including Annette and Lubin to the north. The town borders the rural municipalities of Theux, Jalhay, Stavelot and Stoumont in the district of Verviers in the province of Liège. The municipal area is 39.89 km (24.79 mi); including 7.9 km (4.9 mi) of built and related land, 5.6 km (3.5 mi) of agricultural land and 23.6 km (14.7 mi) of forests and wooded land.[17]
Many of the famous mineral springs in Spa are located on a hillside south of the town.[18] In total, there are more than 300 cold mineral springs in Spa and its surroundings, classified into two types: light mineral waters and natural sparkling waters (called 'pouhons' locally).[18] The light mineral waters come from recent rainfall on the Malchamps Moor, roughly 4 km (2.5 mi) south-west of the town and are filtered through layers of peat, quartz, and phyllite.[18] In contrast, the pouhon waters come from rainfall that may be decades old, having percolated through calcareous rocks hundreds of meters underground.[18]
Climate
Spa has an
Climate data for Spa (1991–2020 normals; extremes since 1950) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 14.5 (58.1) |
19.5 (67.1) |
23.1 (73.6) |
26.3 (79.3) |
30.0 (86.0) |
31.8 (89.2) |
36.7 (98.1) |
35.0 (95.0) |
30.9 (87.6) |
24.1 (75.4) |
19.5 (67.1) |
17.0 (62.6) |
36.7 (98.1) |
Mean maximum °C (°F) | 9.8 (49.6) |
11.6 (52.9) |
16.2 (61.2) |
21.1 (70.0) |
24.8 (76.6) |
28.1 (82.6) |
29.5 (85.1) |
29.4 (84.9) |
24.2 (75.6) |
19.7 (67.5) |
14.5 (58.1) |
10.3 (50.5) |
31.6 (88.9) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 3.9 (39.0) |
4.8 (40.6) |
8.6 (47.5) |
12.9 (55.2) |
16.6 (61.9) |
19.5 (67.1) |
21.5 (70.7) |
21.3 (70.3) |
17.5 (63.5) |
12.8 (55.0) |
7.7 (45.9) |
4.5 (40.1) |
12.6 (54.7) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 1.5 (34.7) |
1.8 (35.2) |
4.8 (40.6) |
8.3 (46.9) |
12.0 (53.6) |
15.0 (59.0) |
17.1 (62.8) |
16.8 (62.2) |
13.4 (56.1) |
9.6 (49.3) |
5.2 (41.4) |
2.2 (36.0) |
9.0 (48.2) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −0.9 (30.4) |
−1.1 (30.0) |
1.0 (33.8) |
3.7 (38.7) |
7.5 (45.5) |
10.4 (50.7) |
12.6 (54.7) |
12.3 (54.1) |
9.3 (48.7) |
6.3 (43.3) |
2.7 (36.9) |
0.0 (32.0) |
5.3 (41.6) |
Mean minimum °C (°F) | −8.4 (16.9) |
−8.3 (17.1) |
−4.9 (23.2) |
−2.2 (28.0) |
0.7 (33.3) |
4.8 (40.6) |
7.4 (45.3) |
7.4 (45.3) |
5.0 (41.0) |
0.9 (33.6) |
−3.1 (26.4) |
−6.2 (20.8) |
−11.0 (12.2) |
Record low °C (°F) | −20.0 (−4.0) |
−21.1 (−6.0) |
−13.7 (7.3) |
−9.6 (14.7) |
−3.5 (25.7) |
0.0 (32.0) |
1.4 (34.5) |
1.0 (33.8) |
1.0 (33.8) |
−6.2 (20.8) |
−9.0 (15.8) |
−17.8 (0.0) |
−21.1 (−6.0) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 100.3 (3.95) |
88.4 (3.48) |
86.4 (3.40) |
67.0 (2.64) |
82.0 (3.23) |
90.9 (3.58) |
96.8 (3.81) |
102.0 (4.02) |
89.2 (3.51) |
86.6 (3.41) |
92.8 (3.65) |
118.4 (4.66) |
1,100.8 (43.34) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 1 mm) | 14.6 | 13.3 | 13.2 | 10.2 | 12.2 | 12.0 | 12.3 | 12.1 | 11.1 | 12.3 | 14.2 | 16.6 | 154.1 |
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 53 | 72 | 124 | 174 | 195 | 202 | 211 | 201 | 154 | 108 | 58 | 42 | 1,594 |
Source 1: Royal Meteorological Institute[19] | |||||||||||||
Source 2: Infoclimat[20] |
Transport
Spa has two railway stations: Spa and Spa-Géronstère, where local trains of
Heraldry
The coat of arms for Spa is a stylized pouhon housed in a neoclassical monument to the covering surrounded by a protective wall opened its facade. The monument is topped by a blue banner bearing the "Spa-Pouhon" inscriptions. "Argent masonry money pouhon of sand topped with gold-SPA Pouhon inscriptions on a blue background." The city colours are yellow and blue. The stylized pouhon is inspired by the monument that housed the Pouhon Peter the Great until 1820.
Under the
Notable residents
- Georges Krins, a violinist on the RMS Titanic.
- Robert le diablein 1830.
References in popular culture
The 1975 film Barry Lyndon is partly set in Spa during the eighteenth century.
The 1975 film Belle is wholly set in contemporary Spa and its environs.
Agatha Christie's fictional detective Hercule Poirot was born in Spa.
International relations
Twin towns – sister cities
Spa is
- La Garde, Var, France
- Cabourg, France
- Eguisheim, France
- Gabicce Mare, Italy
- Bad Homburg, Germany
- Bad Mondorf, Luxembourg
- Jūrmala, Latvia
- Hinterzarten, Germany
- Bad Tölz, Germany
- Terracina, Italy
- Chur, Switzerland
See also
References
Citations
- ^ "Wettelijke Bevolking per gemeente op 1 januari 2018". Statbel. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
- ^ Lezaak 1864.
- ^ Landwehr, Andreas (24 July 2021). "'Great Spas of Europe' awarded UNESCO World Heritage status". Deutsche Presse-Agentur. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
- ^ "The Great Spa Towns of Europe". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 21 August 2021.
- ^ a b Jean-Jacques Jespers, Dictionnaire des noms de lieux en Wallonie et à Bruxelles (in French), Racine, 2005
- from the original on 8 February 2006.
- ^ Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences, George Rosen, Yale University Dept. of the History of Science and Medicine, Project Muse, H. Schuman, 1954
- Jones, W.H.S. Archived from the originalon 29 December 2016. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
- ^ "Casino De Spa – Bienvenue dans le premier casino de monde". Casino De Spa. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
- ^ Laparra & Hesse 2011, p. 69.
- ^ Foster, Paul. "Spa and Kaiser Wilhelm". Remembering 14-18. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
- ^ a b "Circuit History". Circuit de Spa Francorchamps. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
- ^ Extract from the article in the newspaper La Vie spadoise
- ^ Spa, Francofolies de (8 August 2023). "Bienvenue sur le site officiel des Francofolies de Spa". Les Francofolies de Spa - Du 18 au 21 juillet 2024 (in French). Retrieved 3 December 2023.
- ^ "CRIE de Spa-Berinzenne | Réseau IDée". www.reseau-idee.be. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
- ^ Directorate General Statistics and Economic Information, Federal Public Service, Belgium, 2005
- ^ a b c d 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.
- ^ "Klimaatstatistieken van de Belgische gemeenten" (PDF) (in Dutch). Royal Meteorological Institute. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
- ^ "Normales et records climatologiques 1991-2020 à Spa" (in French). Infoclimat. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
Bibliography
- Laparra, Jean-Claude; Hesse, Pascal (2011). L'envers des parades : Le commandement de l'armée allemande : réalités et destins croisés 1914-1918 (in French). Paris: 14-18 éditions. ISBN 978-2-916385-77-8.
- Lezaak, Jules (1864). Les eaux de Spa: leurs virtus et leur usage [The Waters of Spa: Their Benefits and Use] (in French). Paris: J. Hetzel.