In Bělovsi, the restoration of the spa park will begin, Náchod continues to revitalize spa tourism

Náchod - In the Great Spa area in the Náchod district of Běloves, restoration of a 2.7-hectare spa park will begin in July at a cost of 76.9 million crowns. The park adjoins the historically renovated IDA colonnade. Its reconstruction started in February and is expected to cost an additional 24.2 million crowns. The colonnade is to be completed by July 2026 and the park by the end of the same year. This was stated by the city hall spokesperson Nina Adlof. Most of the costs for both projects will be covered by European subsidies.

Both projects are another step by the city hall of the twenty-thousand strong Náchod towards the renewal of spa services. The spa complex in Běloves consists of two parts, the Small Spa on the right bank of the Metuje River and the Great Spa on the left bank. Over the past ten years, the city has invested 190 million crowns in the restoration of spa services, including the reconstruction of buildings, construction, purchase of properties, sources of mineral waters, and project documentation. Costs for the colonnade and park are not included in this amount.

"This year we will also start preparing project documentation for the restoration of the spa building Helena, which is expected to house the first balneotherapy facility, offices, and a medical staff area. This building will be followed by another treatment complex, including parking for guests and patients,” said Adlof. The dilapidated Helena house is located in the Great Spa near the colonnade. Both buildings are the last remaining from the original spa.

The goal of the city hall is to restore the provision of spa therapeutic rehabilitation care in Běloves with a comprehensive treatment stay, including the connection of the Small and Great Spa areas via a promenade, the creation of a network of walking paths, and the restoration of the Panzinka spa villa for the accommodation of medical staff and guests. The city wants to remain the owner and investor in the properties and the manager and user of natural healing resources. For the actual operation of the healthcare facility, it is seeking an operator.

"It does not matter whether it will be a domestic or foreign investor, but they must have experience in operating and providing spa care,” said the deputy mayor Jan Čtvrtečka (SOCDEM) to ČTK.

Balneological indications and treatment methods are historically linked to natural healing resources, thus, according to him, the Běloves spa could offer treatments for the musculoskeletal system, circulatory system, and heart diseases, dry carbonic baths, gas injections, or drinking cures.

The city hall management sees the restoration of spa services in a small town like Náchod as a challenge and an opportunity. "The world is returning to the search for places with an authentic atmosphere, where it is not just about treatment but about a total experience, quality environment, and relaxation. And that is precisely our advantage,” said Čtvrtečka to ČTK. They also sought inspiration abroad. "We draw from good practices, but we want to go our own way that corresponds to the needs of today's visitors and we do not forget about the local residents for whom the restoration of spa traditions is of enormous significance,” added Čtvrtečka.

The neglected IDA colonnade, which played a key role in the Běloves spa in the past, will be transformed after reconstruction into a space with sanitary facilities and exhibition space, while its original architectural character will be preserved. Builders will also restore the spring including the drinking fountain of mineral water IDA. The area around the building will undergo modifications.

The city hall began the spa restoration in Běloves at the Small Spa, where it created drillings for the mineral waters Běla and Jan under the brand Běloveské bublinky and opened a replica of the historic villa Komenský with drinking fountains of mineral water and a promenade in 2019. In 2020, the city built a bridge over the Metuje River for 33 million crowns, and in 2021 purchased the dilapidated area of the Great Spa for 40 million crowns, and in spring 2022 started the modifications of the spa park, while in the same year acquired the historic villa Panzinka for ten million crowns. In 2023, Náchod became the owner of the trademarks for the mineral water IDA.

Last spring, the city hall opened the renovated Jakub spring in the Great Spa. It resembles a chapel and people can draw mineral water from the IDA I and IDA II drillings there. This was made possible by constructing a treatment facility for this mineral water within the reconstructed colonnade. The city also acquired ownership of the IDA I and IDA II drillings in 2024, thus controlling all four utilized sources of natural mineral water in Běloves.

The establishment of the Běloves spa dates back to the early 19th century, and its modern history began to close at the beginning of the 1990s. The city has been striving for their restoration in recent years.