The birth of the Spa

Healing water and high society

In 1595, the first spa building was built – with a swimming pool, a kitchen, a dining hall, and a ball
room. Sebastian’s son, Stanislav Lubomirski, transformed this building into a social heart of grace,
and the Spa became a destination that was popular among the Polish as well as Hungarian nobility.
However, just like in many charming stories, a fall came. After the death of the last member of the
Lubomirski family in 1744, the Spa faced instability, new owners were coming and leaving, and the
pace of the Spa development was changing.

A breath of fresh air with the Baron von Jony

It was only after the Baron Emerich von Jony appeared and acquired the Spa in 1825 that a major
renovation was initiated. He built a castle, a new spa house, and the so-called ‘mirror bath’ – a place
that reflects not only the sound of water, but also the grace of the past times. The Baron’s successor
in the Spa management was his son Daniel (some sources claim his name was Teodor) till 1865, when
the property was assigned to other institutions.

The Zamoyski Era: Royal grace and modernisation

A real transformation came after the Spa was purchased by a Polish Count Andrej Zamoyski in 1882.
This resolute benefactor arranged the construction of villas (Mária, Terézia, and Karolína), improved
the architecture – all with a very ambitious vision. During his era, the summer thermal swimming
pool complex was built. In those times, the complex was regarded as one of the largest ones in
Slovakia. One of the most famous historical events that took place in the Spa was the royal wedding
in 1923 – the Countess Carolina Zamoyski wedded the Prince Ranieri di Borbone. At this ceremony,
the Spanish king himself was present – a scene that does not happen every day.
A few years later, in 1929, Princess Isabella of Bourbon, the wife of Jan Kanty Zamoyski, came to live
in the Spa. She significantly contributed to the implementation of great projects: the White House
and the extension of the swimming pool complex, and in 1931 the couple opened the Strand Bad
Hotel (today the Grand Hotel Strand). The Spa resort had even an American water slide that was
attracting brave people from faraway regions – it was a symbol of courage and the modern spirit of
those times.