To the northeastern part of Slovakia, where the resort of Bardejovské Kúpele is located, it is just over 170 kilometers from our Uzhhorod. But multi-hour waits at the border are not for people who are going to improve their health or simply take a break from the urban hustle and bustle. For those who value time, the company "Jason Euro Service" together with the airline "AeroMost" have offered a direct flight from Kyiv's Zhuliany airport to Poprad. Another two hours on a comfortable bus along magnificent Slovak roads - and you arrive in ancient Bardejov.
The medieval town, once an important trade center through which the main trade route between Russia and Poland passed in the 15th century, amazes with its cleanliness and coziness. To this day, the walls of the Old Town, watchtowers, ancient buildings, narrow streets and pubs have been preserved here. And when you step on the cobblestone pavements, you forget what century you are in...
Five kilometers from the town, at the foot of forest-covered mountains, one of the most famous resorts in Slovakia, Bardejovské Kúpele, is hidden. However, this location did not prevent it from becoming the most visited resort center in Europe: tourists from the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Russia, Holland, Germany, Israel and other countries have long been frequent guests here. Ordinary citizens continue the traditions of their former dignitaries and rulers - after all, Bardejovské Kúpele was repeatedly visited for treatment by the Austrian Empress Elisabeth, Russian Emperor Alexander I, and Austro-Hungarian Emperor Joseph II.
The first mentions of the Bardejovské Kúpele resort date back to 1247, when the Hungarian king Béla IV gave the territory of the present-day resort to the town of Bardejov. People very quickly learned about the healing properties of the mineral water, which they could see for themselves. Good rumors spread quickly, and in 1505, bathing cabins for patients coming from all around were built here. In 1777, the first stone building with 12 rooms was constructed near the springs. A new flourishing of the resort came at the end of the century before last - at that time most of the new fashionable buildings (the current sanatoriums "Dukla", "Alžbeta", "Astória") were built here. The resort became one of the most visited in Europe.
Currently, Bardejovské Kúpele is a sanatorium complex with a modern treatment and diagnostic base, standing on a par with such famous resorts as the mountain resorts in the High Tatras, Karlovy Vary in the Czech Republic, and the resorts of Lakes Balaton and Hévíz in Hungary. Located in the northeastern part of Slovakia on the southern slopes of the Low Beskids (a system of the Carpathians), at an altitude of 325 meters above sea level, embraced by coniferous and deciduous forest, the resort is famous for its 11 healing springs. Water is the true wealth of Bardejovské Kúpele.
The natural healing waters belong by their composition to the most famous in Europe. The first water analyses were made back in 1791-1795 and determined as bicarbonate, chloride-sodium, ferruginous-acidic, cold, hypotonic, with an increased content of boric acid. Resort treatment has undergone a long development and today applies proven traditional methods using the newest physiatric, balneological and rehabilitation methods. As the main indications, diseases of the digestive tract (including the liver, gallbladder, pancreas and conditions after operations on these organs), metabolic diseases (diabetes mellitus, gout, fat metabolism disorders), and nonspecific respiratory diseases are treated here. By the way, this resort allows solving a fairly common problem of treatment compatibility. Having an extensive base of indications, Bardejovské Kúpele allows spouses with different diseases to be treated and rest together.
An individual treatment regimen is prescribed by a balneologist doctor depending on the patient's health condition. Modern treatment methods are used, such as electrotherapy, hydrotherapy, magnetotherapy, thermotherapy, massages, reflexotherapy.
The comprehensive treatment program includes a drinking course, hydrotherapy, physical, electro-, magneto-, and light therapy methods, which are supplemented and changed during the process under the supervision of doctors. An inseparable part of health improvement is dietary nutrition, climatic conditions, a therapeutic regimen, walks along special routes, the so-called "oxygen roads". Treatment procedures also include inhalation, diathermy, diatron, magnetotherapy, galvanic bath, interference waves, diadynamics, ultrasound, infrared heater, mountain sun, mineral and whirlpool baths, contrast shower, massage bath, classic massage, underwater and reflex massage, Finnish sauna, Turkish bath, swimming pool, paraffin, gas injections, acupuncture and even Chinese massage with peat compresses. These procedures are not obligatory, but every vacationer can order them for complete relaxation and rest, for stress relief.
The resort is one of the most visited in Slovakia not only due to the healing properties of the mineral water and the high professional level of specialists, but also due to its quiet and calm atmosphere. There are 29 pavilions on the resort territory - these are beautiful two- or three-story mansions with all amenities. The dominant features of the resort are three hotels - "Ozon", "Alžbeta", "Astória", which are connected to each other and to the three-story treatment building by heated corridors. These sanatoriums, besides standard rooms, also have apartments and deluxe rooms.
For spending free time from procedures, the Bardejov resort hosts many concerts both outdoors and in the magnificent concert hall of the Astória hotel. The resort premises host exhibitions of ceramics, plastics, photography, paintings, flowers, sculptures, various seminars, lectures, etc. On the resort territory there is the Museum of Folk Architecture "Skansen", an exhibition of the Šariš Museum, a library and a cinema.
Guests who enjoy sports are not forgotten here either. In summer, you can play tennis, volleyball, basketball, mini-golf, rent a bicycle, or swim in a heated pool. In winter, you can go downhill and cross-country skiing, and an indoor pool is open. You can walk along tourist trails (25 km) and go horseback riding. The Ozone rehabilitation center operates all year round, featuring a fitness room, sauna, solarium, an electrolysis room, and massage rooms.
Many of our compatriots are familiar with the Czech Karlovy Vary, Mariánské Lázně, and Poděbrady. But not many know that all the indications for these resorts can be treated in one place - in the Slovak Bardejovské Kúpele. Slightly reminiscent of our Yalta, the Bardejov spa offers genuine European service - and at quite affordable prices. For example, if the cheapest option with limited treatment in Karlovy Vary costs 1,035 euros, then in Bardejovské Kúpele it will cost you only 770 euros (including airfare from Kiev to Poprad and transfer).
Slovakia is not only a country of magnificent landscapes, medieval attractions, and ski resorts. It is also a place for your health, worth paying attention to.