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Health Landscape Switzerland
Around the turn of the century, Switzerland was full of spas, climatic health resorts and sanatoriums. What began as a summer resort for a few wealthy guests developed into the therapy of choice for an increasingly broad social group. Those who were weakened or suffering from chronic illnesses travelled to one of the many health resorts to restore their health with water, light and air. During the heyday of spa tourism from around 1860 to 1950, there were several hundred spa and climatic health resorts scattered throughout Switzerland, with a focus on the mountains.
Today, only traces of this abundance remain. A number of thermal baths are still attracting health tourists thanks to the wellness trend. Former mountain sanatoriums became rehabilitation clinics. Often the name of a former “Kurhaus” or “Bad” has been preserved, but it is now used as a hotel or sightseeing restaurant.
The spa collection
In its new exhibition “Bathe, drink, and breathe!” the Main Library – Medicine Careum presents historical advertising brochures from well-known as well as from forgotten health resorts in Switzerland. The brochures originate from a collection of the library of the former Institute for Medical History, which has been integrated into the Main Library in 2017. Around 2000 brochures from all over Switzerland, from A for Acquarossa to Z for Zuoz, are stored in 52 archive boxes.
Many brochures are richly illustrated or contain rare photographs. They were used to promote thermal baths and mineral springs, lung sanatoriums, hydrotherapies, mountain resorts and climatic stations of varying size and orientation. Depending on therapy needs and social class, institutions with more or less medical services and varying degrees of comfort were available.
With our exhibition, we invite you to rediscover more and less familiar stories from Switzerland’s past as a spa landscape. You will find background articles and interviews with experts on this blog. The exhibition will run from 16 September 2019 to 25 January 2020.