ŠUTE I PRALIŠČA, POVIJESNO - ARHITEKTONSKA I BALNEOLOŠKA BAŠTINA VARAŽDINSKIH TOPLICA
HEALING WATER NICHES AND LAUNDRY PLACES HISTORICAL - ARCHITECTURAL AND BALNEOLOGICAL HERITAGE OF THE VARAŽDINSKE TOPLICE

Summary/Abstract: 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 Varaždin 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.

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