'Great Spas of Europe' to be featured on World Heritage List by UNESCO, read details

On Saturday, July 24, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) classified five cultural sites in Europe and Saudi Arabia on the World Heritage List, including one transnational site of The Great Spa Towns of Europe. Just days after taking Liverpool Maritime Mercantile City off the World Heritage List, the World Heritage Committee selected cultural sites in Austria, Belgium, Czechia, France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom for inclusion in the list during its extended 44th session.

The transnational site of  Europe's Great Spa Towns includes 11 towns, located in seven European countries: Baden Bei Wien (Austria); Spa (Belgium); Františkovy Lázně (Czechia); Karlovy Vary (Czechia); Mariánské Lázně (Czechia); Vichy (France); Bad Ems (Germany); Baden-Baden (Germany); Bad Kissingen (Germany); Montecatini Terme (Italy); and City of Bath (United Kingdom). Mineral water springs played a key role in developing these towns. 

As the World Heritage Committee gathered in China for its annual session to review the list of world heritage sites, it determined which spa towns contributed to the European spa phenomenon in the most fashionable, dynamic, and worldwide ways. UNESCO took to Twitter to announce the news. Here's a look at the tweet:

The intricacies of the Spa towns

During the early 1800s and 1930s, these spa towns contributed to Europe's growing spa culture. Grand international resorts influenced the development of urban typology centered on ensembles of spa buildings including the Kurhaus and Kursaal (therapeutic rooms and buildings), pump rooms, drinking halls, and colonnades, where water was harnessed for practical bathing and drinking. In addition to the spa-specific support infrastructure, other facilities also include gardens, assembly rooms, casinos, theatres, hotels, and villas.

These ensembles are all part of a larger metropolitan setting that includes a well-managed recreational and therapeutic environment nestled in a beautiful arrangement. These places represent a substantial exchange of human values and achievements in medicine, science, and balneology when taken together.

Dholavira to be assessed for the inscription

The process of inscribing sites on the World Heritage List is expected to last through July 28. The Glorious Kakatiya Temples and Gateways in Telangana, as well as Dholavira, an archaeological site in Gujarat that depicts the remnants of an ancient city of the Harappan culture, are expected to be assessed for inscription on UNESCO's list.