Lądek-Zdrój

Lądek-Zdrój is a spa town in the Eastern Sudetes, in the valley of the Biała Lądecka river, one of the oldest health resorts in Poland.

History of the spa

A bathing site already existed here in 1241 and was destroyed by the Mongol invasion returning from Legnica. From the end of the 15th century the town functioned as a health resort. The oldest pool, called the Georgenbad (George's Bath), built on a natural spring, was constructed in 1498. A new establishment, modelled on Turkish baths, began to be built from 1678, and after further rebuildings - in 1878-1880, in 1936 and after 1945 - it became today's Wojciech Natural Therapy Institute.

The Wojciech Institute and healing waters

The spa draws on radioactive sulphide and fluoride thermal waters, used in the treatment of rheumatic, orthopaedic and neurological conditions. The Wojciech Institute stands out for its neo-Baroque decor and marble pools from the 19th century, including a round pool fed directly from the thermal spring.

Spa Park

The central place of the spa is the John Paul II Spa Park. Within the spa complex stand a concert shell, a clock tower, a mineral water pump room and an assembly hall, built between 1782 and 1905.

Architectural monuments

The town retains the Baroque Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary from 1688-1692, with sculptures by Michael Klahr, as well as the Church of St Roch from the 17th century, the Chapel of St George from 1658 and the Chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows from 1679. Among the secular buildings are the neo-Renaissance town hall, rebuilt in 1537, 1739 and 1872, Villa Barbara from 1906, and the Gothic St John's Bridge with a figure of St John of Nepomuk. On the market square stands the Baroque Holy Trinity monument, and among the monuments is also mentioned the marble monument to Princess Marianne of the Netherlands (Marianne of Orange) from 1866.

Famous guests

Sources list among the spa's guests Johann Wolfgang Goethe, Empress Catherine II, Tsar Alexander I, representatives of the Prussian royal court, and future US President John Quincy Adams.

Nearby

Close to the town lies the Radochów Cave, and a little further away the Arboretum in Lądek-Zdrój and the viewpoint Trojak.

Practical information

• Location: Eastern Sudetes, Biała Lądecka valley, Kłodzko County
• Treatments are carried out at the Wojciech Natural Therapy Institute, based on the local thermal waters
• Town and municipality office website: ladek.pl - information about stays and events is worth checking before you arrive