SERBIAN SPAS / BANJE SRBIJE
FROM THE ROYAL SPAS TO
MODERN WELLNESS CENTERS
eginning of Serbian spa tourism is
linked with a first summer house that
Prince Milos Obrenovic built in
Bukovicka Spa in 1811. First formal analysis
with confirmation of Serbian spa’s healing factor came to Ribarska and Brestovacka Spa in
1834.
B
BEGINNING OF SERBIAN SPA TOURISM
By the end of the XIX century, all of nowadays famous spas had a certificate of salubrity of waters that were at their disposal. With
these analyses, all Serbian rulers of that time
had sufficient motive to build summer houses around healing springs in Serbia for their
own purposes. Certainly, ordinary people
like to go where kings go, which is the thing
that entrepreneurial people know very well.
The “golden age” of the Serbian spas begins
with the construction of first hotels at the
end of the XIX century. From early XX century to the World War II, Serbian spas
recorded permanent rise in the number of
beds and overnight stay. It can be said that
spa tourism was the only form of organized
tourism in Serbia, thus in former Yugoslavia
until second half of the XX century.
As we mentioned earlier, the beginning of
Serbian spa tourism is related with members
of royal dynasties Obrenovic and Karadjordjevic. Maximum usage of Serbian healing springs was the only thing two dynasties
agree about. Construction of summer houses
for courtiers was followed by the intensive
construction of hotels and boarding houses,
medical offices and additional contents.
Domestic balneology appeared in the middle
of the XIX century, based on the knowledge
and experience of western balneologists.
THE FIRST LAW ON SPAS
Kings’ connection with the value of spas was
“crowned” on June 2nd, 1914. Then, just three
weeks before the start of the World War I,
King Peter Karadjordjevic The 1st signed the
first law on spas. At the very beginning of this
law, it was said: “All mineral and hot spring
water are state property. Тhеу are managed and
Ribarska Spa
7894 TURISTIČKI SVET
oktobar / novembar 2016
controlled by the Minister of Internal Affairs,
through the Sanitary Department. If mineral or
hot water exists, or is discovered on private
property, the Government has the right to, if
necessary, purchase the land at hand and that
in the vicinity, by free agreement and purchase
or by expropriation at the expense of the sanitary budget.” Because of the importance of this
law to further development of spas and the
neutrality of this event, June 2nd is announced
as the “Day of Serbian spas” by our association. We would be very pleased if current
Serbian Government had at least similar relationship with spas.
“SERBIAN ROYAL SPAS” PROJECT
In gratitude to Serbian kings, we supported,
together with the Royal palace, the project
“Serbian Royal Spas” that was created by the
magazine “Turisticki Svet” from Belgrade. We
find this way of branding a very good marketing strategy as well. The rights to use a logo
and a name of “Serbian Royal Spa” have those
spas that were long – term “hosts”to members
Koviljaca Spa