How did a town in Wallonia become the generic English word for hydrotherapy resorts worldwide? Despite the iron-rich thermal springwater of Spa being well known to the Romans, it was not unlike dozens of other Roman baths with hot mineral waters that were supposed to be good for body and soul. It appears responsibility for popularising Spa lies with one man, Tsar Peter I, or Peter the Great, of Russia.
The Tsar regularly visited western Europe and was touring the Netherlands in 1717 (modern day Belgium was part of the Netherlands in those days) when he visited Spa. This was the same visit that a chronically hungover Peter is alleged to have vomited into a fountain in the park opposite the Royal Palace of Brussels. His visit to Spa was an attempt to cure his liver problems caused largely by legendary drinking bouts.
Whatever the truth of it, he appears to have recovered from serious illness, news of which spread far and wide in royal and aristocratic circles. The small town in the Ardennes was on the map. Its popularity amongst Europe’s elite assured, Spa became synonymous with health and healing. It’s understandable that its name would soon be adopted to describe the hot springs and mineral baths elsewhere in Europe.
In recognition of his role in the town’s success, the Pouhon Pierre le Grand monument enclosing the town’s main spring, was erected to the Tsar in 1880. Taking the waters today involves a trip to the Thermes de Spa, a modern complex on the hilltop looking over the town, and excitingly reached by a splendid funicular. As it transports you up the the steep incline, the views to the wooded hills beyond are magnificent.
In 2021, Spa joined 11 other towns in a single UNESCO World Heritage listing as “Great Spa Towns of Europe”. Its new found status has given Spa a boost after suffering a decline in popularity in the 20th century. It might also explain why restaurants in Spa charge eye watering amounts for normal food. As for the famed Spa mineral water, it’s been bottled here for 400 years and yet you can buy it more cheaply in a restaurant in London.
That gripe aside – well, there is the issue of all the stag and hen parties, but they were very well behaved – Spa is a very pleasant weekend away from Brussels. If taking the waters isn’t your thing, it’s a good base for exploring a region with lots of natural beauty – including the nearby Hautes Fagnes (of which more later) – and is crisscrossed with walking and cycling routes.
Spa’s central area is very pretty, especially around the quieter Parc de Sept Heures, when Victorian-era ladies and gentlemen would take their evening stroll. The areas behind the casino (the oldest in Europe) and the Church of Notre Dame and Saint Remacle, are also quiet, but Spa is otherwise flooded with endless traffic on the main road through town. One of the nicest squares, Place du Perron, is a car park.
Still, Spa has a rich history and the town is worth exploring for its many 18th and 19th century buildings. One of the most extraordinary moments in Spa’s history came in 1918. The German military moved their High Command here prior to the arrival of Kaiser Wilhelm and the launch of the Spring offensive against the Allies. It would be Germany’s final throw of the dice for victory in the First World War.
It was from Spa that the German delegation departed to surrender and negotiate the Armistice. In the face of defeat and uprisings in Germany, Kaiser Wilhelm stepped onto a train in Spa and went into exile in the Netherlands before abdicating his throne. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it’s a moment in history that the town makes little of, but to a history buff it made our weekend in Spa more fascinating.
Dotted around Spa are a number of statues of leaping people. They are to be found in squares, on the street and in parks, and anyone who has ever drunk Spa mineral water will be familiar with this Pierrot character. Invented in 1923, last year the town commissioned lots of them to celebrate the 100 year anniversary of Spa’s iconic mascot.
Of course for us Spa is synonymous with motor racing and we never ever got a chance to look around in a more than cursory fashion. Thank you for the insight and the photos!
There’s quite a lot of motor racing on the main road through town!