In Bělovsi in Náchod, the first stage of the spa park's renewal begins.

Náchod – The town hall of the twenty-thousand Náchod will begin work on the renovation of the spa park, covering an area of 1.8 hectares in the Běloves district, on Monday, March 28. The total costs for the park modifications on the left bank of the Metuje River are estimated by the city to be between five and eight million crowns, divided into two phases. The first phase will cost 1.1 million crowns without VAT and will continue until July 2022. Nina Adlof, the spokesperson for the town hall, informed ČTK.

This is the first step towards revitalizing the premises of the former spa in the Běloves district, which the city purchased in December 2021 for 39.9 million crowns from the Priessnitz Health Spa company.

The first phase includes plans for the felling of dangerous trees and the removal of invasive plants. "The estimated value of the contract was 4.8 million crowns excluding VAT. The contract was successfully awarded for 1.1 million crowns without VAT," Adlof told ČTK.

The work in the second phase, which is being prepared, includes the construction of sidewalks, placement of furniture, and the renovation of flower beds.

The former Běloves spa on the outskirts of Náchod was purchased by the Priessnitz Health Spa from a previous private owner in 2019. In February 2020, they began demolishing the most dilapidated buildings. The pandemic halted their plan to revive spa services in Náchod, and the company approached the town hall in the first half of last year about the possibility of starting negotiations for the sale of the spa. The city of Náchod became, for the first time in history, the sole owner of the spa area on the left bank of the Metuje River, including its sources.

The Náchod town hall has been striving to revive spa services in Běloves for several years. In 2015, the town hall leadership decided to take their own path considering the complicated ownership situation of the original spa. This was followed by investments in their own mineral water wells and, in 2019, the opening of the Komenský villa with mineral water fountains and a promenade in the so-called Little Běloves Spa. The Little Spa is located about half a kilometer away from the main spa area on the opposite, right bank of the Metuje River.

The first phase of park restoration is not the only planned action for this year in the spa area. "We also plan to repair the Jakub spring, start the preparation of project documentation for an outpatient pavilion, and make the park accessible to the public," the city spokesperson told ČTK.

The establishment of the Běloves spa dates back to the early 19th century, and its modern history began closing in the early 1990s when the state returned the spa in a dilapidated state to two restitution claimants. The non-state spa did not have enough patients, became heavily indebted, and ceased operations in 1996. The spa then changed owners, and the city's efforts to acquire it were long unsuccessful. Even though the spa in Náchod was not operational, it retained and still holds the status of a spa town. The Běloves mineral water Ida was a symbol of Náchod's spa services. The city plans that the restored spa should treat cardiovascular systems, obesity, and gynecological problems.