Holidays for health resort visitors

Abstract

The period of autonomy in Galicia is characterised by a rapid growth in the popularity of health resort treatment. Not only spas with mineral waters but also with a salubrious climate or other advantages (therapeutic peat, whey of ewe’s milk, nature treatment facilities) gained considerable fame. It was also a time of changes in customs of the society, progress in the area of infrastructure, development of science and the spread of new currents changing the existing reality. Health treatment during vacation time became more widely available with health resorts being transformed into bustling centres, which implemented health treatment programs as well as into entertainment and recreation facilities, more and more important for the visitors. Time spent away, about 6 weeks, was occupied by various activities. Some of them were related with the character of the place, i.e. drinking waters, baths, exercises, walks, other therapies recommended by the spa doctors. The remaining time was filled by cultural-entertainment program, similar to the activities of everyday life: balls, evening parties, dances, concerts, theatrical performances, visits and return visits – basic pleasures but also the duties of holiday makers. The visitors could dispose of libraries and reading rooms and rent pianos with musical scores. It was possible to go sightseeing in the neighbourhood and other more distant locations with the use of the visitor’s own means of transport or hired. Sightseeing tours, derived from walks, became increasingly popular. It became the basis for the development of qualified tourism and high mountain tourism, also mountaineering. The thriving life at the resorts led to the creation of more and more tourist facilities: confectionaries, cafes, restaurants, gyms, playgrounds, walking routes, lotteries, races and shows. Recreation, especially during holiday time, became the right of increasingly wider social circles. Even though the duties resulting from customs and traditions were scrupulously fulfilled, the atmosphere of fun and leisure and the specificity of a location created a new quality. With time, health spa customs developed and started modelling any undertaken activity.