The large water towns of Europe listed as World Heritage

“

The great water towns of Europe

”, flagships of European hydrotherapy, very popular between the beginning of the 18th century and the beginning of the 20th century, were included on the UNESCO World Heritage list on Saturday.

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Seven countries had deposited this registration file for eleven of their cities: Bad Ems, Baden-Baden, Bad Kissingen (Germany);

Baden bei Wien (Austria);

Spa (Belgium);

Vichy (France);

Montecatini Terme (Italy);

City of Bath (United Kingdom);

Franzensbad, Karlovy Vary, Marienbad (Czech Republic).

"An exceptional testimony"

The Heritage Committee recognized the universal value of these towns which, although “

different ... have developed around mineral water sources, which have been the catalyst for a model of spatial organization dedicated to curative and therapeutic functions. , recreational and social

”.

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These “

waters

” have given these cities their cachet, by coupling activities with therapeutic aims to leisure activities, in an environment made up of urban parks and walks popular with spa guests, but also theaters and concert halls for example. . They presented "

an important exchange of innovative ideas which have influenced the development of medicine, balneotherapy and leisure activities

".

"

The large spa towns of Europe constitute an exceptional testimony to the European thermal phenomenon, which has its roots in Antiquity, but which reached its peak between around 1700 and the 1930s

", underlines the draft Declaration of universal value, adopted on Saturday, during a live broadcast session.

A "historic" decision

The mayor of Vichy Frédéric Aguilera greeted a “

historic

”

decision on his Facebook account

.

This inscription "

constitutes a formidable lever to make widely discover the heritage of Vichy and to reinforce the influence of our city beyond the borders

", also estimates the city council, quoted in a press release, adding that these spas were "

the pioneers of modern tourism

”.

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The World Heritage Committee is meeting online until July 31 for its annual session, chaired from Fuzhou, China, by Tian Xuejun, Chinese vice minister of education and chairman of the Chinese National Commission for Education. Unesco.