Vyšné Ružbachy

The climatic and mineral spa Vyšné Ružbachy is located in the northeastern part of Spiš at the southern foot of Spišská Magura at an altitude of 623 m. Vyšné Ružbachy is surrounded by coniferous forests, which grow into spa parks and give them a special mountain character. In the past, the village of Vyšné Ružbachy is famous for its rich history, which is mainly associated with the origin of the spa itself.

The first written mention of the spa and the healing effects of water is from 1595. The area includes not only spa buildings, but also the Izabela thermal swimming pool, the travertine lake Kráter and the White House building.

In 1549, Sigismund II. Augustus, King of Poland, appointed Count Sebastian Ľubomirský as the hereditary mayor of the towns given to polish deposit, which stimulated the building and social activity. In 1595, a spa building with a swimming pool, kitchen, dining room and lounge was built. The spa thus became a well-known social center of the Polish and Hungarian nobility. In 1774, after the extinction of the Ľubomirský family, the spa began to decline.

The spa experienced its greatest expansion in the 19^th century, when it was bought by Andrej Zamoyski, who turned the spa into one of the most modern spas in Slovakia. At that time, the Biedermeier-style spa park building, the so-called White House, was also built in the spa. The White House was built from travertine, which was mined here in the past. Ján Zamoyski invested funds from the wife of his wife Izabela and her Spanish and Italian heritage in the spa.

In the past, travertine was the main source of livelihood for the village of Vyšné Ružbachy, as many people worked in the local quarry. The people in the village also subsisted on agriculture and the women processed flax. Today, the quarry is a natural gallery of sculptural art, with 104 travertine sculptures by artists from fourteen countries. Thus arose the history of stonemasonry and sculpture in the village.

In the area of ​​the spa park there is a travertine lake Kráter with a diameter of 20 m and a depth of 3 m, which is the only one of its kind in Slovakia. These lakes do not come from volcanic activity, but were formed by the descent of travertine hills around a calcium-rich mineral spring. There are only two similar lakes in the world, in New Zealand and Iceland. The depth of the water in the travertine lake reaches three and a half meters and contains mineral water with a temperature of about 24 degrees Celsius, which flows directly and has created a natural waterfall. Travertine lake is sought after not only by visitors to the spa, but also by tourists.

There is a natural thermal swimming pool in the spa area, which has an islet in the middle with two 100-year-old spruces. The spa park also includes the Izabela summer swimming pool, which in 1929 was the largest swimming pool in Czechoslovakia. Patients in Vyšné Ružbachy use medical procedures such as balneotherapy, physical therapy, electrotherapy, rehabilitation and psychotherapy. The water in the bath contains a high amount of calcium, magnesium and lithium, which is an element of good mood. It treats movement and cardiovascular diseases, mental disorders, digestive and oncological diseases, gynecological problems, occupational diseases and kidney and urinary tract diseases.

In the summer months, the attraction of the village Vyšné Ružbachy is a thermal swimming pool, in winter skiing. There are five ski lifts in the ski area for beginner skiers and families with children in the ski area.