Mondariz–Balneario is a

spa town A spa town is a resort town based on a mineral spa (a developed mineral spring). Patrons visit spas to "take the waters" for their purported health benefits. Thomas Guidott set up a medical practice in the English town of Bath, Somerset, Ba ...

and municipality in Galicia,

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. Originally, a simple parish (Troncoso) of the neighbouring town of

Mondariz Mondariz is a town and municipality in the province of Pontevedra, autonomous community of Galicia, Spain. It has a population of 4,440 inhabitants. Geography Parishes The municipality of Mondariz is formed by 12 '' parroquias'' (civil parishes ...

, it grew into a

spa A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water (sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa health treatments are known as balneotherapy. The belief in the curative powers of mineral waters and hot springs goes back to pre ...

town in the late 19th century following the popularisation of its water which was reputed to have medicinal qualities. It has the distinction of being the smallest municipality in Galicia and one of the smallest in Spain with an area of 2.4 km2.

Ancient and medieval history

It is known through archaeological remains that the site now occupied by the town was inhabited from prehistoric times, which establishes the existence of a fort in the Coto Cividade as well as in Roman times, as in Pious neighboring parish are remains of Roman

amphorae An amphora (; ; English ) is a type of container with a pointed bottom and characteristic shape and size which fit tightly (and therefore safely) against each other in storage rooms and packages, tied together with rope and delivered by land ...

, various ceramic and bronze coins confirming the occupation. However, the finding of greater magnitude and Roman is the best proof that Mondariz-Balneario was

Romanized In linguistics, romanization is the conversion of text from a different writing system to the Roman (Latin) script, or a system for doing so. Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written text, and transcription, ...

, are remains of a

Roman road Roman roads ( ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman Republic and the Roman Em ...

near the stands, on or river Tea, Cernadela bridge, also of Roman origin. Tradition has it that in 1282 and in the chapel of San Pedro which is situated in this county, took place the marriage of King Diniz of Portugal to the Princess Isabella of Aragon, daughter of Peter III and later became known as Isabel of Portugal.

Contemporary history

In the new division of Pontevedra municipalities, in accordance with Royal Decree of 23 June 1835, it was included in the parish of Mondariz as a mere territory, and as reflected in his writings Florida Blanca, it was under the jurisdiction of Sobrosa, being dependent of Don Juan Lago, the Marquis de Valladares and the Marquis de Sobrosa. In 1904 the parish becomes Troncoso, a newly created parish whose territories were dispersed from the parish of Santa Eulalia de Mondariz dependent of Mondariz parish. In 1924, after the change of name to the parish of Our Lady of Lourdes it becomes an independent municipality on November 30 with the current name Mondariz-Balneario. Balneario is the Spanish word for spa resort, referring the host-medical establishment that had provided the necessary economic strength to support its emancipation from

. Thus, the history of Mondariz-Balneario is closely related to Don Sabino Peinador Enrique Vela, who made the aforementioned neighborhood Troncoso renowned spa, thanks to which appeared the town. Since April 17, 1925 the town of Mondariz-Balneario holds the title of "Very hospitable villa" granted by

King Alfonso XIII Alfonso XIII ( Spanish: ''Alfonso León Fernando María Jaime Isidro Pascual Antonio de Borbón y Habsburgo-Lorena''; French: ''Alphonse Léon Ferdinand Marie Jacques Isidore Pascal Antoine de Bourbon''; 17 May 1886 – 28 February 1941), also ...

and General Primo de Rivera in thanks to good treatment received from the neighbors in their frequent visits to the Grand Hotel. The Grand Hotel, that opened in 1898 and hosted very important guests in the early twentieth century, started its decline after the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

. In 1973 a devastating fire destroyed the Grand Hotel and left the building in ruins until 2005, when it was rebuilt to house private apartments. In the meantime, a new hotel and spa was built in the adjacent buildings, and nowadays Mondariz-Balneario remains as one of the most important spa resorts in Galicia.

Sights

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mondariz - Balneario Municipalities in the Province of Pontevedra Spa towns in Spain