Jeseník - Priessnitz Spa

In 1799, Vinzenz Priessnitz was born in the settlement of Gräfenberk (today Lázně Jeseník) in the Silesian part of the Jeseníky Mountains. His childhood was not quite simple and everything bad was completed by a serious injury, when at the age of 16 a carriage with frightened horses crossed his chest. According to the wounded, he was supposed to remain a cripple at best, but he healed himself thanks to cold compresses and water. As soon as the news of this almost miraculous cure spread through him, people from the surrounding area began to come to him from a wide area and ask Priessnitz to treat them with his own methods. They even started calling him "Water Doctor". In 1822, he had his birth house rebuilt so that he could place some necks for his patients, thus creating the first hydrotherapy institute in the world.

However, it was not easy, because not everyone liked his work. Some people considered him a charlatan or a liar and a deceiver because they did not believe in the effects of "ordinary" water. The local healers did not like the fact that he treated for free and thus deprived them of considerable earnings. In 1837, in spite of everything, he managed to establish a real spa and obtain the confirmation of the imperial commission, even though he was not a trained physician. At that time, up to 1,500 patients a year took turns in his spa, and doctors from all over the world came here to study and learn this method of treatment. Today, hydrotherapy is widespread throughout the world and is widely and successfully used.

The spa has gradually developed into a number of spa pavilions, the main one being the Priessnitz Sanatorium pavilion, which stands on a hill about 2 km above the town of Jeseník. The spa offers not only hydrotherapy, but a complete range of spa therapies such as inhalation, massage, electrotherapy, magnetotherapy and much more. Rest, a pleasant atmosphere and walks in the park certainly have a beneficial effect on patients. The Great or Small Colonnade invites to these walks. The Great Colonnade circuit measures over 1,100 meters and runs around a small ridge, in the middle of which is the tomb of Vinzenz Priessnitz. The small colonnade will take you uphill directly to this tomb and then through the left or right half of the Great Colonnade back to the Priessnitz Sanatorium.

You can take the longer route along the Vinzenz Priessnitz nature trail, which measures 7 km and leads around monuments, memorials and also 15 springs. The number of monuments, interesting views and springs in the area is unique in the world, also because most of them were built as grateful patients from all over the world, a total of 13 nationalities are represented here.

Although the fame of Lázně Jeseník, or Priessnitz's healing spas, has almost disappeared for a while due to the wars of the last century, today they are once again a sought-after and world-renowned spa. In addition to treatment, of course, it also offers opportunities for pleasant relaxation and hiking.

Author: Martina Limbergová