The Two Millennia of Vara Dinske Toplice (Vara Din's Spa)

42(1):1-3,2001 COVER PAGE The Two Millennia of Varadinske Toplice (Varadin’s Spa) For more than two thousand years the sick and the were provided with hypocaust (hot air heating system). infirm have sought comfort and healing at the hot springs The rectangular forum had arcades on the two sides, and of Vara)din’s Spa (1). In Roman times, the place was the capitolium in the foreground. The spring of thermal known as Aquae Iasae (2). The name referred to the Iliric water with nympheum-well was in the centre. The marble tribe Iasaen, who inhabited the Panonian region between slabs that remained from the nympheum bearing reliefs the present-daycities of Maribor in Slovenia and Osijek of three nymphs and various mythological scenes sym- in Eastern Croatia. The Iliric word “Iasaen” means “the bolizing the power of water are well preserved, and you owners of hot springs”, of which there are a number in can see them in the Museum of Vara)dinske Toplice. this region. The Iasaens mayhave known and taken ad- The capitolium consisted of three detached temples. vantage of the healing powers of hot springs, but there The biggest in the middle was dedicated to Jupiter, and are no known archaeological remains to support this hy- the side temples to Juno and Minerva. A larger-than-life pothesis. marble statue of goddess Minerva was found in the tem- The Roman period was the first golden age of ple. This statue of a beautiful woman bearing Minerva at- Vara)dinske Toplice. The archaeological investigations, tributes is now in the Archaeological Museum in Zagreb carried out between 1953 and 1983, revealed that Aquae (4). Iasae was an important Roman settlement. But, as it was Aquae Iasae thermae were destroyed in fire during built on preciselythe same spot where the present-day one of Goth invasions in the late 3rd century. The Vara)dinske Toplice is, the excavations could be carried thermae were reconstructed during the reign of emperor out onlyin places where there were no buildings of the Constantine the Great (5). There is a stone slab bearing later periods. The architecture and urban organization of the epigraph: “Emperor…Constantine…restored Aquae Aquae Iasae conformed to the land configuration and did Iasae, once destroyed by the force of fire, to its original not follow the usual organization of a Roman town. The appearance with portals and all decorations…” The gen- public structures (thermae with basilica and temples) eral layout of the restored spa complex followed that of were built on the hillside around thermal springs, the res- previous ones, but the structures were more monumental idential area was beneath them on the slope of the hill, (Fig. 1). and tradesmen’s area with craftsmen and merchants’ Two vaults supporting a multi-facet roof arched the houses and shops was in the valley. inside of the basilica, which also had an apse. The bath- The Roman thermae were found two meters below house consisted of two dressing rooms (apodyterii), a the ground level in the present-dayspa park (cover page). room heated byhot air (tepidarium), a room with cold After the fall of Roman Empire, the thermae were de- bath (frigidarium), and two rooms with hot bath stroyed and hot sulfurous water flooded the remains and (caldarium) and compartments for sweating formed layers of calcium carbonate deposits. Thanks to (sudatorium). Parts of the hypocaust system (external that, the remains have been well conserved in a natural stoves and hot air pipes) are well preserved, and can be way. seen on the site. The forum was enclosed with arcades on The first Roman thermae were constructed in the 1st all four sides. The capitolium temples were united in a centuryAD. Their simple construction occupied an area single tripartite structure. An aqueduct supplied the Spa of not more then 200 square meters. Hot water was with fresh water from a neighboring hill to cool the hot brought to the two pools through a simple canal. There thermal water. was no heating system in the rooms and basilica. The The Roman Aquae Iasae was destroyed in the late epigraphs on stone slabs found on the site testifythat the 4th century, probably during the war between emperor thermae served for the rehabilitation of wounded soldiers Theodosius and the usurper Maximus. (3). The earliest written record of Vara)dinske Toplice In the 2nd century, during the reign of the emperors during the Middle Ages is the document signed byking Hadrian (117-138) and Antoninus Pius (138-161), the Bela III in 1181, stating that Vara)dinske Toplice was thermae in Aquae Iasae were rebuilt into a monumental given to Zagreb bishopric as a gift from Croatian ban complex, consisting of a basilica, a bathhouse, and a fo- (vice king). It remained in the possession of Zagreb bish- rum with capitolium. The basilica and the bathhouse opric until 1946, when it became nationalized. http://www.vms.hr/cmj 1 Cover Page: The Two Millennia of Vara)dinske Toplice (Vara)din’s Spa) Croat Med J 2001;42:1-3 capitolium with bathhouse temples the first Roman thermae forum basilica Fig. 1. Axonometric drawing of excavated Aquae Iasae thermae (ref. 5). In the course of time, Vara)dinske Toplice grew into common people were the first medical books published an important market town. The citizens were the tenants in Croatian. of the Zagreb bishop, theypaid him rent, and owed him He was shocked when he saw the poverty, deplor- the service of repairing and maintaining the baths. The able health conditions under which the poor lived, and baths at that time were a verysimple and crude affair: a horrible methods of treatment the local barbers subjected wooden structure with a roof was open on all sides, and them to. He succeeded in acquiring a degree of authority underneath, in the pools of steaming hot water, naked over the barbers, and imposed some rules theywere men and women bathed together. From the late Middle obliged to follow. These rules referred mostlyto the per- Ages to the 17th century, Vara)dinske Toplice was con- formance and indications of bloodletting. When the old stantlyattacked byTurkish hordes, ruined from the bat- wooden bathhouse was destroyed in fire, a new stone tles between noblemen, and ravaged byepidemics. In bathhouse – Constantine’s Bath, was erected. The merit 1540, a Turkish horde burned the place down and took for that goes to Dr Lalangue, his initiative and persever- away500 people as slaves. ance. He also introduced a number of sanitaryand medi- In the Middle Ages, the barbers were in charge of cal regulations on proper use and maintenance of the the treatment of patients (6). The main therapyfor all was qualityof the water and the baths. bloodletting, done in a veryrough and primitive manner. Vara)dinske Toplice flourished in the 19th century. The barber, using a homemade scarificator, first scarified Several new bathhouses were built, and from 1836 on- the patient’s skin and applied a cow horn (instead of cup- ward, a physician was permanently employed. ping glass). Then he sucked the air out of the horn The second golden age of Vara)dinske Toplice through the hole in the top and sealed it. The patient then started at the beginning of the last century. The bath- proceeded to take the bath with a number of horns at- houses and bath facilities were renovated, the new water- tached to his skin. When the horns were filled with works were constructed, and a luxurious new hotel, a blood, theyfell off – blood spilling into the bath. So, the fine example of the secessionist (art Nouveau) architec- baths were literallybloodbaths. ture, was built. The rules of social behavior in bath facili- The barbers practised bloodletting on a large scale ties and their proper use were issued. A grand new park until the Second World War. In 1914, 50,000 people un- was laid out (8), where an orchestra played daily in the derwent bloodletting. At fairs and patrons’ days as many park’s bandstand or in the assemblyhall. Vara)dinske as 1000 people were treated daily. The last barber of Toplice developed into a fashionable resort where Vara)dinske Toplice practiced bloodletting illegallyuntil wealthypeople gathered, seeking entertainment and cure the end of 1964. for their disease. After the breakdown of the Austro-Hungarian Em- An important period for the improvement of public pire, a new type of guests patronized Vara)dinske health began in 1772, when Dr Jean Baptiste Lalangue Toplice. Instead of Hungarian aristocracy, members of (7) was appointed the town physician in Vara)din, at that the new prosperous class of merchants in the newly time the capital of Croatia, which was a part of the formed Kingdom of Yugoslavia were regular visitors. Austro-Hungarian Empire. Vara)din is 20 km awayfrom Vara)dinske Toplice and Dr Lalangue was responsible for During the World War II Vara)dinske Toplice suf- the town and the countyof Vara)din. He was born in Lux - fered heavily. The luxurious hotel was destroyed by fire embourg and had graduated medicine in Vienna. Dr and bathhouses were damaged. Lalangue was a kind man and dedicated physician, whose After the war, the spa becomes a big and well-orga- untiring efforts produced good results in the field of health nized rehabilitation centre. At present, the Special Hos- care. His three books dedicated to medical education of pital for Medical Rehabilitation has 1,100 beds for pa- 2 Cover Page: The Two Millennia of Vara)dinske Toplice (Vara)din’s Spa) Croat Med J 2001;42:1-3 tients, employs 32 physicians and numerous physiother- Toplicama.

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