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Krynica Zdroj

The town of Krynica-Zdroj is located in southern Poland. It has over 13 000 inhabitants. It is often referred to as the Pearl of Polish Spas, being the biggest spa town in the country. Its spa treatments and winter sports facilities have rendered it a popular tourist destination. Although it had existed before 1547, the year it was granted a village administrator's office, it did not receive a town charter until 1889. The town's development was closely related to the discovery of the healing properties of the mineral springs in the 1600s. The start of the health resort was the so-called Small House, which has hosted the first balneotherapy institution since 1804. By 1807 Krynica-Zdroj had become a renowned balneotherapy health resort, and the first doctor opened a cabinet for patients. The charismatic Jozef Dietl, a professor at the Jagiellonian University, ushered in the great era of the health resort in 1856. He is the founding father of balneology in Poland. Peat baths have been in operation here since 1858. During that period notable buildings like the Old Mineral Baths, the Old Peat Baths and the Spa House were completed. A railway connection to Muszyna opened in 1876, and was extended to Krynica-Zdroj in 1911. This contributed to the development of the spa as well. In the late 1800s the spa town was a trendy and posh meeting place and holiday destination for many famous Poles, such as Grottger and Kraszewski.

Krynica-Zdroj is associated with the famous painter of primitivism Epifan Drowniak, also called Nikifor. There is a display of his life's work at the Warsaw Ethnographic Museum. He led a hard and lonely life in this town. His speech and hearing impediments made it difficult for him to keep contact with the outside world, something that is evident in the works he produced while living here.

The Polish government took possession of the spa after WWI. At that time several buildings were renovated and many new ones were built, such as the New Mineral Baths and the New Spa House. A cable railway to the Parkowa Mountain, a hostel on the Jaworzyna Mountain, a toboggan run and a winter stadium were also built during that time. The town became a winter sports center. The World Championship in ice hockey took place here. 10 000 people came to Krynica to get treatment or look for work in 1919. By 1938 this number had increased to 40 000. The outbreak of WWII hampered the development of the health resort, but after the war the resort was enhanced and enlarged. New sanatoriums were built, as was the imposing Main Pump Room, a physiotherapy complex with a concert hall and tennis courts. Krynica became the biggest health resort in the whole group of Krynica-Poprad resorts.

The town has continued to flourish in recent years. A gondola to the Jaworzyna Mountain was introduced, a network of ski runs was developed, and a sports-show hall was built. This has been the biggest investment in southern Poland in a long time.

Attractions in the town include the Patria Hotel and Kraszewski's Bench. The Patria was commissioned by famous Polish tenor Jan Kiepura. The glamorous hotel was officially opened in 1933. Dutch Crown Princess Juliana and her husband were guests of honor at the hotel in 1937. During WWII the Germans converted it to a sanatorium. It became state property after the war. Today it is property of the company Health Resort Krynica-Zegiestow.

Famous Polish writer Jozef Ignacy Kraszewski stayed in a fashionable hotel in Krynica during the 1860s. After his death his followers built a monument in honor of his stay in the spa town. There is a stone bench with his bust in one of the park alleys in Krynica.

The town is surrounded by the scenic Beskid Sadecki mountain range, which attracts mountain biking enthusiasts and hikers in the summer and skiers in the winter. There is a wide variety of ski slopes, including a FIS-certified downhill piste. Other recreational opportunities and activities include sleigh rides, horse-drawn carriage rides, coach trips, and camping. Krynica hosts an annual Economic Summit, where world leaders gather to discuss political and economic matters.

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