Spa Laško

The people in Laško knew about the warm springs for a long time, as snow melted there very quickly, and in simple hollows, fenced in by wicker, they also occasionally bathed in the warm water. During construction work for the present health spa workers came across remains of solid walls that could come from the prosperous times of the ancient town of Celeia.
In the year 1818 a report by Dr. Riedl appeared in a Graz newspaper about the Laško springs. Dr. Riedl, who had measured the water temperature and discovered it was 35°C, announced the setting up of a health spa. Some years later during the construction of a road the local engineer Bilof traced the springs, but did not have the finances to exploit them.
It was not until during the construction of the railway line that an engineer by the name Rödel began to work systematically on the springs. From September 1852, when he purchased the land, until May 1854, when he ceremoniously opened the spa, just 20 months had passed. The three springs were each given a name: the Emperor’s Spring, Franz’s Spring and Joseph’s Spring. The spa was given the name Kaiser Franz Josef Bad. Along with a building with a pool Rödel also reorganised the nearby mill and built a luxurious villa.
In the year 1857 the spa was purchased by the Viennese professor and cosmopolitan Dr. Stein, who also invited the cream of Viennese society to the health spa. For this purpose he built onto the spa’s building, built an extension with a dance hall and planted a park. He also took care of his guest social life. Sadly the spa got into a crisis and Dr. Stein had to sell it.
The spa’s reputation was only returned by a latter owner Gunkel, who radically renovated it and in 1882 built his own hydro electric power plant, the first on Slovene soil, which lit up most of the buildings and the whole park. In cooperation with the brewery they began to brew thermal beer. During World War I the spa played the role of a military hospital.
After the war the real property was quite ravaged but in 1923 the spa was partly renovated. Later the spa passed into the hands of the pensions institute Pokojninskega zavoda and further the central office for workers insurance Osrednjega urada za zavarovanje delavcev .
In October 1953 the spa was registered as a medical rehabilitation centre. Further development mainly followed the needs of the health care service and to a large degree it was the fruit of cooperation with the orthopaedic, later neurological, traumatology and neurosurgical clinics in Ljubljana, regional hospitals and health centres across Slovenia.
Not so long ago the Lasko Thermal Spa Resort was known as a centre for medical rehabilitation, today with its rich tradition it is becoming one of the most important health spas and tourist centres in Slovenia, which in its offers has asserted quality sojourns, the culture of a healthy way of life. It is especially intended for people who have movement difficulties and for those who want to avoid the same.