Cieplice Slaskie-Zdroj
Today Cieplice Slaskie-Zdroj is the spa district of the city of Jelenia Gora which is located in south-western Poland in the Province of Lower Silesia. Jelenia Gora is a 900 year old city lying in the Jelenia Gora Valley in the heart of the Karkonosze Mountains. The city attracts cultural visitors to take part in meetings, concerts and annual festivals, of there is no shortage in the capital of the Karkonosze. Majestic mountains, forests that almost touch the city borders and closeness to the Karkonosze National Park are some of the greatest assets of Jelenia Gora. The local castles, palaces, parks and gardens form an interesting map of the history of the Jelenia Gora Valley which every mountain-loving tourist should get to know.
Cieplice is the oldest spa resort on Polish territory as its origins have faded into the dark mists of history. Most probably the existence of hot springs was known to the Bobrzan Slavic tribe but local sources attribute the discovery of the Cieplice springs to Duke Boleslaw Wysoki who, in 1175, ventured into the region in pursuit of a wounded deer. The healing properties of the thermal waters began attracting the sick in search of a cure which was probably the reason Prince Bernard Iwowecki bestowed 250 fiefs of land, including the hot springs, to the Order of St. John of Jerusalem. Since then, the order has been taking care of the sick that have come here.
The town and surrounding lands belonged to the Schaffgotsch family from the 14th century till 1945 but from the 17th century, after the destruction of their castle in Chojnik, the local palace, which was rebuilt on numerous occasions, became the family’s main residence. In 1945 the name of Cieplice Slaskie Zdroj was officially introduced when the town was incorporated into Poland, which replaced the former German name of Bad Warmbrunn. The remaining former residents were resettled in Germany. On the 2nd July 1976 Cieplice officially became a district of Jelenia Gora.
Throughout history the medicinal qualities if the Cieplice waters in this foothills spa centre have been appreciated by many important and famous personalities that have taken advantage of their numerous benefits. These have included high ranking members of the Radziwill family, Primate Radziejowski, Johann W. Goethe, The Prussian King Fredrick Wilhelm III, Hugo Kollataj, Izabella Czartoryska and many more. Undoubtedly, the most important guest, along with her entire court, was Queen Maria Kazimiera Sobieska.
The waters in the Cieplice water-table are between 16,000 and 22,000 years old, with a low mineral content but saturated with fluoride and silica. The thermal springs have a temperature between 37°C and 87°C and especially from the deepest wells are the hottest of their type in Poland.
Thanks to its properties the thermal spa waters in Cieplice have a strong heating effect, prevent the formation of stones in the urinary system, increase bone mineralisation, prevent tooth decay, increase voiding and diuresis and act as an anti-bacterial agent. They also have a positive effect of lowering the total cholesterol level in blood serum. A stay in a spa in Cieplice will raise body temperature, assist in the treatment of many diseases, benefit from the absorption of beneficial materials externally, whilst bathing or during other water-based treatments, or internally from drinking the waters. The healing thermal water is used in all offered hydrotherapy treatments. Within the resort there are four spa hospitals, six sanatoriums, two naturopathic centres and a spa clinic.
