guests and experience
Guests of Rimski Vrelec
– Health, Peace, and Socializing
At the end of the 19th century, Rimski Vrelec was one of 25 officially registered Carinthian spas and a popular destination for guests from across the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The season lasted from June to September, and visitors came for the healing water, peaceful nature, fresh air, and fine cuisine. In 1897, nearly six thousand guests visited Carinthian spas, and Rimski Vrelec employed a spa physician, Dr. Josef Höhn, who oversaw the medical care of the visitors.
Guests stayed in the manor house, the bathhouse, and the Swiss Villa, which together offered approximately forty comfortable rooms. Available amenities included hot and cold baths, Kneipp therapies, a 300 m² swimming pool, fishing, excursions, and a nearby church, which gave the location a special character. Among the guests were industrialists, officials, and nobility, as well as those recovering from chronic illnesses and families seeking peace and health. Newspaper records testify to formal receptions, garden parties, and moving farewell evenings, such as the one held upon the departure of Johann Taurer in 1889.
A diverse staff ensured the well-being of the guests: cooks, housemaids, waitstaff, and laborers who performed agricultural work and tended to the livestock. The staff ensured cleanliness, comfort, and a sense of home, which were key to the spa’s reputation.
During World War II, the Germans stationed Siemens workers here; after the war, the premises of the nationalized complex were filled with students from the Metallurgical Industrial School. In the 1960s, Rimski Vrelec once again became a popular meeting place for the residents of Carinthia and a holiday resort for guests from various parts of the country, including coastal areas.