Medevi Brunn is

Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...

's oldest spa, located in Motala Municipality on the eastern shore of

Lake Vättern A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from t ...

, 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 li ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

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), ''Primeval'' (film), a 2007 American horror film *Gustav (film series), ''Gustav'' (film series), a Hu ...

and the royal doctor Urban Hjärne. Queen Hedvig Eleonora 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. It is usually still, but may be sparkling ( carbonated/ effervescent). Traditionally, mineral waters were used or consumed at t ...

and by covering themselves in mud wraps. 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, taking place on or near the date of the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere; the longest Daytime, day of the year. The name "midsummer" mainly refers to summer solstice festivals of Eu ...

. 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 (religion), covenant created in baptism. Those being confirmed are known as confirmands. The ceremony typically involves laying on o ...

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 Syntheism, Syntheist religious movement ...

, 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 Motala Municipality 17th-century establishments in Östergötland County {{Sweden-struct-stub