SWS INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY SWS Journal of Social Sciences and Art ISSUE 1, 2020 SWS Journal of Social Sciences and Art MUSZYNA ZDRÓJ - 10 YEARS OF SPATIAL CHANGES IN THE TOWN AND IN THE SPA [1] Assistant. Prof. Dr. Architect Wojciech Karol Wójcikowski Cracow University of Technology, Faculty of Architecture, Poland ABSTRACT The aim of the article is to present activities in Muszyna Zdrój, located in the region of southern Poland spa resorts. In Poland there are 45 spa resorts (mostly small towns and villages) half of them were developed in the southern part of Poland and many of them are interesting examples of the transformations of the urban public space in the spa resorts. Almost all those settlements are locate in the outstanding natural environment including landscapes, climate and above all in the water, confirm a number of studies and a long tradition of conducting treatment advances in medicinal uses of many diseases. After a period of stagnation caused by ownership transformations in health resorts associated with the privatization and the reprivatisation of property nationalized after the Second World War. As well as long-term negligence in the period of system change in Poland after 1989. The activities carried out during last 10 years in Muszyna Zdrój like in the other health resorts located in the south of Poland focused to improve the quality of public spaces in these towns. Muszyna Zdrój is one of the most effective in attracting financial resources from European funds for all designed activities example. Muszyna Zdrój is a small historical town with developed in the beginning of XX century spa resort. The main advantages of the spa were climate, values of the landscape and sources of mineral waters. The spa resort is separate by the River Poprad from the town and develop separately. After few years of dynamic spatial changes in Muszyna Zdrój, the town and the spa resort become revitalized. Now Muszyna Zdrój is one of the good example of recent spatial changes in the health resorts of the whole of southern Poland spas. The main revitalization activities in the health resort consisted in creating a modern place for outside events, walking areas, place when everyone can drink the mineral water from the source and rest in different and attractive parks or spend time in outside mineral pools. New paths along the Poprad River and parks, designed and implemented in the spa part of the resort serves both residents, visitors and numerous tourists visiting the town and the spa. Activities undertaken in Muszyna Zdrój serve not only to improve the attractiveness of DOI 10.35603/SSA2020/ISSUE1.01 - PB - - 1 - DOI 10.35603/SSA2020/ISSUE1.01 SWS INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY ISSN: 2664 - 0104 SWS Journal of Social Sciences and Art ISSUE 1, 2020 SWS Journal of Social Sciences and Art the town by improving the quality of public spaces for the comfort of visitors and tourists, but also for the sake of residents as well as natural resources of mineral resources thanks to which the spa towns have been functioning for centuries Keywords: southern Poland, spa resorts, health resorts, spa town, Muszyna Zdrój INTRODUCTION of development of the spa and tourism in Due to the ubiquitous fashion for a the area. [3] healthy lifestyle, the related interest of a Muszyna Zdrój is a small historical town lot of tourists and visitors staying in a spa located in the south of Poland in the Lesser resort there is considerable pressure on Poland voivodship, in the Nowy Sącz the authorities and investors to improve poviat. Muszyna Zdrój has about 5 100 the state of the public space of the town. inhabitants, located at the confluence of Numerous revitalization activities been the Poprad river and the Muszynka and carried out, initially focused on improving Szczawnik streams. Muszyna Zdrój situated the technical infrastructure and, over at an altitude of 450 to 550 m above sea time, improving the quality of public spas level, the highest surrounding mountain in the last 10 years are an interesting topic is Jaworzyna (1114 m above sea level). of research and Muszyna Zdrój is one Located in the region of southern Poland of the good example of recent spatial in the outstanding natural environment changes in the health resorts of the including landscapes, climate and above southern Poland. Muszyna Zdrój is the most all in the water, confirm a number of effective in attracting financial resources studies and a long tradition of conducting from European funds for all designed treatment advances in medicinal uses activities. of many diseases. Due to the densely In Poland, there are 45 registered spas, forested mountain slopes, this region located in different parts of Poland, but is characterized by a mild, mountain the most widely represented a group of climate. Climate and landscape values the spa resorts, providing medical services as well as sources of mineral waters have in the field of balneology is along the become one of the main advantages southern border of Poland. [2] The region of the town. The main wealth of both of southern Poland is hypsometrically Muszyna Zdrój and the surrounding area much diversified area. From lowland river is the resources of curative mineral waters valleys of the Vistula and San by upland used for drinking cure, bathing and and sub montane areas of the Northern aerosol therapy in sanatorium centres and Carpathians to the mountain peaks of for bottling by local mineral water bottling the Beskids, Tatras, Pieniny, Bieszczady plants. [4] Mountains. This characteristic variety Muszyna Zdrój is a town with developed in of landscape and its attractiveness as the beginning of XX century spa resort. The well as the natural environment and spa resort is separate by the River Poprad geological structure became the cause from the town and develop separately. DOI 10.35603/SSA2020/ISSUE1.01 - 2 - - 3 - DOI 10.35603/SSA2020/ISSUE1.01 SWS INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY SWS Journal of Social Sciences and Art ISSUE 1, 2020 SWS Journal of Social Sciences and Art However in a centre of the town there are residents and tourists visiting the town. mineral springs as well. The resorts in which treatments have been The activities carried out in health and are being conducted are shaped resorts out in health resorts located in differently than centres with an educated the south of Poland and to improve the urban or rural structure. For centuries, quality of public spaces in these towns. designers and investors of spa plans After a period of stagnation caused by have paid a lot of attention to the quality of these premises, individual facilities ownership transformations in health resorts and facilities for bathers. A large part of associated with the privatization and the balneotherapy centres is surrounded by reprivatisation of property nationalized forest areas, as well as in the vicinity of after the Second World War. As well as nature protection areas like national parks, long-term negligence in the period of reserves, landscape parks, these large system change in Poland after 1989. areas of greenery have a full isolation and landscape role for medicinal areas. After few years of dynamic spatial changes in Muszyna Zdrój, the town and the spa The aim of the article is to present recent resort become revitalized. Now Muszyna activities in one health resort located. Zdrój become very good example of Among numerous revitalizations of public good managing and attracting funds from spaces of the spa towns carried out European Union and first of all of recent in recent years have mainly involved spatial changes in the health resorts not activities in the field of aesthetic and only in southern but in whole Poland. functional improvement of these towns, adapting them to modern standards, OBJECT, PURPOSE AND METHOD OF projects implemented in Muszyna- Zdrój RESEARCH deserve special attention. This article based on urban and The research method based by the author’s architectural research carried out in the interpretation of the changes taking place last few years in several spas of southern in Muszyna-Zdrój, The research carried out Poland, mainly in the towns located in by the author during the last 10 years of the Carpathian region. The problem of changes taking place in the spas of the quality of treatment and equipment of spa and tourist resorts of southern Poland, healing spas in spas and observations the observation of numerous activities of transformations is the subject of the aimed at improving the quality of public author’s research. spaces in these places became the basis The issue of the quality of development of the article. The extensive cognitive and equipment of treatment areas in material collected by the author justifies spas and observation of transformations the need for the presentation of observed occurring in it is the subject of the author’s phenomena, their assessment as well as research. In spa towns, these spaces the inspiration to formulate conclusions. are often the main public spaces of the MUSZYNA-ZDRÓJ HISTORY city and numerous parks, squares and promenades are not only for the bathers The urban spatial layout of town Muszyna, but also for a place of recreation for the in light of previous findings, the original DOI 10.35603/SSA2020/ISSUE1.01 - 2 - - 3 - DOI 10.35603/SSA2020/ISSUE1.01 SWS INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY ISSN: 2664 - 0104 SWS Journal of Social Sciences and Art ISSUE 1, 2020 SWS Journal of Social Sciences and Art can be connected to the bishop’s and continued uninterruptedly until 10 pm watchtower already functioning in the this sudden revival of the town resulted in area and the village founded at the the restoration of municipal rights in 1934 foothill by King Kazimierz Wielki around to Muszyna.