Since ancient times, places for rest and relaxation have been established in Europe. The Romans founded public baths not only on the Italian peninsula, giving rise to a spa culture.

The “invention” of leisure in the 19th century meant that leisure was no longer the elitist pleasurable pastime of the upper classes, and the curative trip “to the waters” gradually democratised and become more accessible. Waged labour, together with improvements in the material situation and the development of railways and travel agencies, made it possible to take holidays away from home, from the hustle and bustle of industrial cities. This has influenced the development of spas, watering places, resorts and holiday destinations that welcome an increasing number of diverse visitors. Spa culture, architecture and literature are being born and developed.

It is their Central European variants that we are looking at in this issue of “Herito”, taking you on a journey to the most important healthy places in our region – from the Baltic Sea, through the spas in the Sudety and Karpaty mountains to the outskirts of the Habsburg Empire – on the centenary of the publication of Thomas Mann’s The Magic Mountain.