Postcards from Spa catalogue

116 items

Spa is a town and commune in the Ardennes, province of Liège, arrondissement of Verviers, on the Wayai in Belgium. The municipality has almost 10,500 inhabitants. More

Spa is a town and municipality in the Ardennes, province of Liège, arrondissement of Verviers, on the Wayai in Belgium. The municipality has almost 10,500 inhabitants.

In the Middle Ages, Spa belonged to the Margraviate of Franchimont, named after the castle in neighboring Theux. Spa received city rights in 1594.

The medicinal properties of the iron and carbonated water of the thermal baths of Spa were already known in the 16th century. In 1764, the first bathing establishment was built and the town became known as a health resort. The first casino in Europe was opened in 1774. In the 19th century, Spa became so well known that in English "spa" became a generic name for spa town. The wealthy bourgeoisie had castles built there. Numerous crowned heads, composers and writers stayed in Spa.

Queen Maria-Hendrika lived in the Villa Royale from 1893 until her death in 1902.

Emperor William II of Germany established his headquarters in Spa in 1918. He signed his abdication there. In 1920, the Allies held the conference on reparations, named after the city, in Spa, as a follow-up to the Versailles conference.

Until about 1980, Spa was the most important tourist center of the Ardennes. The ferruginous water can be tasted in the Peter-de-Grote spring in the center of the city.

Automatic translation Click here for the original text

Number of postcards

116

Number of related items

Oldest item

Landscapes (1929)