The Balneario da Toxa ( Galician for: A Toxa Island Spa) or Grand Hotel of A Toxa is a spa-hotel located in La Toja Island, in Galicia,

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. It was inaugurated in

1907 Events January * January 14 – 1907 Kingston earthquake: A 6.5 Mw earthquake in Kingston, Jamaica, kills between 800 and 1,000. February * February 11 – The French warship ''Jean Bart'' sinks off the coast of Morocco ...

and in

1945 1945 marked the end of World War II and the fall of Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan. It is also the only year in which Nuclear weapon, nuclear weapons Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, have been used in combat. Events Below, ...

the building was restored, with an almost complete refurbishment carried out, although various old elements subsist.

History

18th Century

In 1808, fishermen in the local

ria A ria (; gl, ría) is a coastal inlet formed by the partial submergence of an unglaciated river valley. It is a drowned river valley that remains open to the sea. Definitions Typically rias have a dendritic, treelike outline although they ca ...

found the warm waters of the island had healing qualities. Later, a loaded donkey with a number of ulcers and with ringworm was abandoned by its owner on the island. After a few months the owner was surprised to find the healthy animal. The donkey had wallowed in the island's mud and its wounds had disappeared. This story was told by the Countess of Pardo Bazán in 1911. This story helped make way for the creation of a Grand Hotel in A Toxa.

Former Balneario de A Toxa

In 1907 the hotel was built, based on the popular spas of the time such as the Marienbad in Germany. Two pavilions were built, one room and the casino, connected by a gallery. The architect was Daniel Vázquez Gulias. The interior was decorated with frescoes in the halls and stairs. A Toxa, was at that time a resort for the upper class of Galicia. The hotel had several boom years, was famed across the peninsula and came to be known by the court in Madrid, at the time A Toxa was already popular as a spa.

Restoration

In 1945 there was a restoration, the towers were pulled down and an almost complete refurbishment was done. Today it is a

five star Five Star (also styled as 5 Star) are a British pop group, formed in 1983 and comprising siblings Stedman, Lorraine, Denise, Doris and Delroy Pearson. Between 1985 and 1988, Five Star had four top 20 albums and 15 top 40 singles in the UK, ...

hotel maintained by its director Francisco Marcos. The striking staircase and windows reminiscent of its glory days, the rooms have been restored, the building has furniture from the past, and has views of the island. The building's old columns remain, but the rest is new.

References

{{coord missing, Spain Buildings and structures completed in 1907 Casinos completed in 1907 Eclectic architecture Buildings and structures completed in 1945 Spa towns in Spain Hotels in Spain Defunct casinos