History

The springs

Ownership of the Rogaška springs through the ages

1. Priest of Svet Križ.
   
   
2. In 1676 Baron Peter Courty set up the first guest house by the source of the spring. A crate containing 250 x 2.5 litre bottles at Rogaška cost 3 florins; however in Vienna the price of one bottle reached, and exceeded, 1 florin. On account of the high price of the water counterfeit imitations soon appeared.
   
   
3. The Austrian Emperor Leopold I, on account of various disputes with Baron Courty, assigned the trading rights for the water to the Viennese merchant Frank in acknowledgement of his self-sacrifice during the Turkish siege of Vienna.
   
   
4. In 1706 Leopold I, so that conditions would be put in order, assigned the distribution rights to the Viennese city holy man Henckel, but due to the disputes at Rogaška, conditions in the marketplace were not settled.
   
   
5. In 1721 the Emperor Karl VI assigned the sale rights to the Association of Viennese Pharmacists, who successfully retained this concession (image 5) until 1782. During this concession the first technical intervention was made - they enclosed the source and gave it the form of a well, which was preserved until 1860. In 1732, after the final section was completed, they determined to erect a Monument to St. Janez Nepomuk by the spring (image 6) in thanks. The Emperor also decided on the price of a bottle of water, which came to 36 kreutzers. The merchants themselves had to pay 6 kreutzers to the public purse.
   
   
6. In 1774 the Empress Maria Teresa, who succeeded Emperor Karl VI, decided that on each bottle of water there must be a tag on which was written the current year and a symbol and that this had to be changed each year. Also, the cost of the mineral water had to be announced in the newspaper Wiener Zeitung.
   
   
7. After 1782 there followed a period of regression as far as the development of Rogaška was concerned as Emperor Jožef II dissolved the Association of Pharmacists and so consequently the ownership fell into the hands of the local owners.
   
   
8. In 1801 a new era in the evolvement of Rogaška began when the Health Spa Resort fell into provincial ownership. The main Count at the time, Count Ferdinand Attems (images 7 and 8) in association with the prelate Kugelmayer of Admond applied themselves to the modernisation of the structures and the well equipment. In 1810 the Health Spa Resort was once again flourishing, when the Austrian Archduke Janez joined forces with Count Attems and others.

In 1804 Dr Frölich, the first permanent doctor at the Health Spa Resort, started to give medical advice and in 1805 he also became a Director. In 1812 the first brick bottling complex was built. 1838 saw the sale of 500,000 bottles at the price of 9.5 kreutzers. It was possible to purchase the water in all of the Austrian provinces, in Italy (Aqua di Cilla), Greece and also in Egypt. In the first half of the 19^th century there were four known springs: the springs of Ferdinand and Gothard, the Gozden spring and the Glaven spring, above which in 1819 was built the oval pavilion Tempel (image 9). Later, by different settlement sections, the springs of Jožef and Moritz were discovered.

Between 1830 and 1860 all of the more important buildings had been constructed, which we can still see today (image 10), and it was during this time that the Health Spa Resort was at the height of its popularity. Around 2,000,000 bottles were being filled and sold each year. Guests were coming from all over Europe and from the Viennese court (images 11,12 and 13). Recognised artists of the time were also entertaining them at the Health Spa Resort, as for example Franz Liszt, 1846.

Because of all the increased inquiries being made about Rogaška mineral water, which were a result of the intense advertising which had been taking place (images 14 and 15), the amount and also the quality of the water from the shallow capturing and from the sources, was no longer sufficient for the needs of the market place. In 1908, under the supervision of the Czech geologist Dr Knett, a large draining area (images 16 and 17) was constructed on the edge of the health resort's park which was 40 m x 8 m x 8 m in size, in which they captured the various mineralised mineral waters on different levels. The most mineralised water was given the name DONAT. So Rogaška, besides it existing mineral water Tempel and Styria, obtained a new type of water which the guests accepted.

Following the Second World War, during 1952 to 1954, Rogaška saw only around 1,500,000 litres of water being bottled each year. Due to a decline in quantity and quality it was necessary for the needs of the Health Spa Resort and the market place, to ensure a new and permanent quantity of quality mineral water. In 1952, under the guidance of Professor Bać from Sarajevo and in collaboration with the Geological Institute in Ljubljana, they started with depth drilling in the central part of the health resort's park. This drilling signified a new beginning with regard to research and methods of capturing underground water in Slovenia. 41 wells were drilled up to 1958. The deepest extended as far as 87 m. The deeper wells though caused the shallower wells to dry up, but in spite of this there was enough quality water for the Health Spa Resort and its consumers. From the wells it was possible to exploit around 60 m³ on a daily basis without a pump.

From 1958 up to the present time, there was expert comprehensive geological, hydrogeological and geophysical research carried out at Rogaška Slatina and the surrounding area under the guidance of Professor Bać and Anton Nosan from the Geological Institute in Ljubljana, and on the basis of the positive results of this research, quite a few wells were drilled for the capture of mineral water and CO₂ gas which ensured a sufficient supply of mineral water, of type Donat Mg and Tempel (image 18), to the Health Spa Resort and its Bottling Complex.