Medevi Brunn is

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and S ...

's oldest spa, located in

Motala Municipality Motala Municipality (''Motala kommun'') is a municipality in Östergötland County in southeast Sweden. Its seat is located in the city of Motala. In 1971 Motala Municipality was formed by the amalgamation of the ''City of Motala'' with some of t ...

on the eastern shore of

Lake Vättern A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larg ...

, in north-west

Östergötland Östergötland (; English exonym: East Gothland) is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden (''landskap'' in Swedish) in the south of Sweden. It borders Småland, Västergötland, Närke, Södermanland and the Baltic Sea. In older English ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic countries, Nordic c ...

History

The spa was founded in 1678 by Count

Gustaf Soop Gustav, Gustaf or Gustave may refer to: *Gustav (name), a male given name of Old Swedish origin Art, entertainment, and media * ''Primeval'' (film), a 2007 American horror film * ''Gustav'' (film series), a Hungarian series of animated short cart ...

and the royal doctor

Urban Hjärne Urban Hjärne (20 December 1641 – 10 March 1724) was a Swedish chemist, geologist, physician and writer. Biography He was born at Skworitz near Nyenschantz in Swedish Ingria. He was the son of vicar Erlandus Jonæ Hiærne (1596–1654 ...

. Queen

Hedvig Eleonora Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp (23 October 1636 – 24 November 1715) was Queen of Sweden from 1654 until 1660 as the wife of King Charles X Gustav. She served as regent during the minority of her son, King Charles XI, from 1660 until 1672, ...

had a summer residence built at ''Medevi säteri'', on the hills overlooking the village, at the recommendation of Hjärne. Since then, people have been coming to Medevi every summer to cure themselves from ailments by drinking the

mineral water Mineral water is water from a mineral spring that contains various minerals, such as salts and sulfur compounds. Mineral water may usually be still or sparkling (carbonated/effervescent) according to the presence or absence of added gases. T ...

and by covering themselves in

mud wrap Mud wraps are spa treatments where the skin is covered in mud for a shorter or longer period. The mud causes sweating, and proponents claim that mud baths can slim and tone the body, hydrate or firm the skin, or relax and soothe the muscles. It is ...

s. Most buildings date back to the 18th and 19th centuries. The health center was closed in 1982, but the water is still served to visitors in the summer.

Today

Medevi has become one of the most popular resorts to celebrate the Scandinavian summer holiday of

midsummer Midsummer is a celebration of the season of summer usually held at a date around the summer solstice. It has pagan pre-Christian roots in Europe. The undivided Christian Church designated June 24 as the feast day of the early Christian martyr ...

. During the midsummer weekend, daily visitors in the village often number over 10,000. The area surrounding Medevi has seen a dramatic increase in the construction of summer residences, some of which have been turned into year-round housing. The nearby beach village of Västanvik alone has over 500 such residences. Two

confirmation In Christian denominations that practice infant baptism, confirmation is seen as the sealing of the covenant created in baptism. Those being confirmed are known as confirmands. For adults, it is an affirmation of belief. It involves laying on ...

camps are held every year, run by Hans Rhodin. Sweden's upper class 15-year-olds come for three-week stays.

Notable people

Alexander Bard Alexander Bengt Magnus Bard (born 17 March 1961) is a Swedish musician, author, lecturer, artist, songwriter, music producer, TV personality, religious and political activist, and one of the founders of the Syntheist religious movement alongside ...

, artist and philosopher, was born in Medevi, 1961

External links

* 1678 establishments in Sweden Buildings and structures in Östergötland County Spas Tourist attractions in Östergötland County {{Sweden-struct-stub