Sandefjord Spa (, often shortened to Kurbadet), was 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 ...

Sandefjord Sandefjord () is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. It is located in the Traditional districts of Norway, traditional district of Vestfold. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Sandefjord ...

, Norway, established by

Heinrich Arnold Thaulow Heinrich Arnold Thaulow (10 June 1808 – 19 August 1894) was a physician known for the introduction of balneotherapy in Norway. Thaulow founded Sandefjord Spa in Sandefjord in 1837. He was Sandefjord's first physician. He also made the firs ...

in 1837. The main building from 1899 is one of the largest wooden buildings in Norway and in the

Nordic countries The Nordic countries (also known as the Nordics or ''Norden''; ) are a geographical and cultural region in Northern Europe, as well as the Arctic Ocean, Arctic and Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic oceans. It includes the sovereign states of Denm ...

overall. Kurbadet was one of Europe's most visited baths in the late 1800s. Royalty and Prime Ministers from throughout Europe visited the spa in the late 1800s. It was the first spa in Sandefjord and functioned as a medical institution focusing on the treatment of symptoms for

rheumatic disease Rheumatism or rheumatic disorders are conditions causing chronic, often intermittent pain affecting the joints or connective tissue. Rheumatism does not designate any specific disorder, but covers at least 200 different conditions, including ar ...

s. A majority of spa visitors were from Norway, but international guests from

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Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...

and the

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also visited Kurbadet. The spa was open from 1837 until 1939, when it became a municipal property. The buildings are now housing a café, bar, gallery, and a host of local associations. The bath's original building from 1899 is made in style of a dragon and is located in the city centre. Tours of Kurbadet can be scheduled. Badeparken, or "the Bathing Park", is located nearby and was established by the spa in 1902.

History

The spa first opened its doors on 1 August 1837. The original installations were based on seawater tub baths and mud baths. When a sulfur source was found in 1838, the spa began offering sulfurous water for bathing. The spa became one of the most popular spas in Europe but fell into disrepair after World War II. The city council voted in 1980 to restore the spa as a cultural monument. Sandefjord Spa was established in the mid-1800s by Dr Thaulow, the city's first physician. It was located in a large wooden structure at Bryggegaten, and guests were treated

sulphur Sulfur (American spelling and the preferred IUPAC name) or sulphur (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth spelling) is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol S and atomic number 16. It is abundance of the chemical ...

baths and were offered saltwater baths at Strømbadet. Among the spa's notable visitors were

Henrik Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright, poet and actor. Ibsen is considered the world's pre-eminent dramatist of the 19th century and is often referred to as "the father of modern drama." He pioneered ...

Svend Foyn Svend Foyn (July 9, 1809 – November 30, 1894) was a Norwegian whaling, shipping magnate and philanthropist. He pioneered revolutionary methods for hunting and processing whales. Svend Foyn introduced the modern harpoon cannon and brought ...

, Camilla Collett,

Adolph Tidemand Adolph Tidemand (14 August 18148 August 1876) was a noted Norwegian romantic nationalism painter. Among his best known paintings are ''Haugianerne'' (''The Haugeans''; 1852) and '' Brudeferd i Hardanger'' (''The Bridal Procession in Hardanger' ...

, and members of the royal family. The spa later expanded when Dr Thaulow purchased Hjertnes Hovedgård, a large farm by the city harbor, now home to Park Hotel. The building, Socitetsbygningen, was equipped with a restaurant, reading hall, smoking room and pool tables. The bath's own orchestra practiced in the hall.

Notable visitors

Some notable visitors to the spa included:Fagerli, Torkel (2004). “Kulturminner: Kongelig besøk ved Sandefjord Bad i 1855 - Kronprinsesse Lovise” (in Norwegian). Sandar historielag. Retrieved on August 24, 2021, from the

National Library of Norway The National Library of Norway () was established in 1989. Its principal task is "to preserve the past for the future". The library is located both in Oslo and in Mo i Rana. The building in Oslo was restored and reopened in 2005. Prior to the e ...

at https://urn.nb.no/URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2016030868078 *

, playwright and theatre director *

Johan Sebastian Welhaven Johan Sebastian Cammermeyer Welhaven (22 December 1807 – 21 October 1873) was a Norway, Norwegian writer, poet, critic, and art theorist. He has been considered "one of the greatest figures in Norwegian literature." Background Johan Welhaven w ...

, author and poet *

, painter *

Hans Gude Hans Fredrik Gude (March 13, 1825August 17, 1903) was a Norwegian romanticist painter and is considered along with Johan Christian Dahl to be one of Norway's foremost landscape painters. He has been called a mainstay of Norwegian National Ro ...

, painter * Camilla Collet, author * Crown Princess Louise * Crown Prince

Charles XV Charles XV or Carl (''Carl Ludvig Eugen''; Swedish language, Swedish and Norwegian language, Norwegian officially: ''Karl''; 3 May 1826 – 18 September 1872) was King of Sweden and List of Norwegian monarchs, Norway, there often referred to as C ...

Louise of Sweden Louise of Sweden (; 31 October 1851 – 20 March 1926) was List of Danish royal consorts, Queen of Denmark from 1906 until 1912 as the wife of Frederick VIII of Denmark, King Frederick VIII. Born into the House of Bernadotte, Louise was the onl ...

Prince Frederick of the Netherlands Prince Frederick of the Netherlands, Prince of Orange-Nassau (full names: Willem Frederik Karel; 28 February 1797, in Berlin – 8 September 1881, in Wassenaar), was the second son of William I of the Netherlands and his wife, Wilhelmine of Pr ...

* King

Oscar I of Sweden Oscar I (born Joseph François Oscar Bernadotte; 4 July 1799 – 8 July 1859) was King of Sweden and List of Norwegian monarchs, Norway from 8 March 1844 until his death. He was the second monarch of the House of Bernadotte. The only child of Ki ...

* Prince

Oscar II of Norway Oscar II (Oscar Fredrik; 21 January 1829 – 8 December 1907) was King of Sweden from 1872 until his death in 1907 and King of Norway from 1872 to 1905. Oscar was the son of Oscar I of Sweden, King Oscar I and Josephine of Leuchtenberg, Queen J ...

References

{{coord, 59.1282, 10.2285, type:landmark_region:NO, display=title Buildings and structures in Sandefjord Culture in Vestfold Tourist attractions in Vestfold