{"id":2349,"date":"2025-08-22T16:35:42","date_gmt":"2025-08-22T16:35:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/2025\/08\/22\/young-architects-lead-effort-to-save-romanias-historic-spa-town\/"},"modified":"2025-08-22T16:35:42","modified_gmt":"2025-08-22T16:35:42","slug":"young-architects-lead-effort-to-save-romanias-historic-spa-town","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/2025\/08\/22\/young-architects-lead-effort-to-save-romanias-historic-spa-town\/","title":{"rendered":"Young architects lead effort to save Romania\u2019s historic spa town"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Graffiti mars the crumbling walls of the main thermal baths in one of Europe\u2019s oldest spa towns, Baile Herculane.<\/p>\n

Yet after decades of neglect, a dedicated team of young architects is working to revive the picturesque Romanian resort that once drew emperors to its healing waters.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomeone once said that if you drink water from the spring from Herculane, you never leave,\u201d said 31-year-old architect Oana Chirila.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was struck by the beauty of the place,\u201d she explained about the town in Romania\u2019s southwest, nestled among mountains and bisected by a river. \u201cAnd at the same time [I was] shocked by its condition,\u201d she added, referring to the dilapidated state of the historic thermal baths.<\/p>\n

Chirila first visited Baile Herculane eight years ago entirely by chance, she said.<\/p>\n

Her group\u2019s restoration project represents one of several recent civil society initiatives launched to safeguard Romania\u2019s historic monuments.<\/p>\n

Approximately 800 such monuments have deteriorated to an advanced state of decay or risk complete collapse. Some already pose significant public safety hazards.<\/p>\n

Constructed in 1886, the Neptune Imperial Baths once welcomed distinguished guests seeking its warm sulphur treatments.<\/p>\n

Among these illustrious visitors were Austria\u2019s Emperor Franz Joseph and his wife Elisabeth, commonly known as Sisi. Franz Joseph himself described the town as Europe\u2019s \u201cmost beautiful spa resort\u201d.<\/p>\n

Today, the baths stand closed, their interior walls defaced with graffiti, floors littered with debris, and rain seeping through the ceiling.<\/p>\n

Despite the deterioration, tourists regularly pause to admire and photograph the long, rusted facade, with some attempting to glimpse the interior through broken windows.<\/p>\n

Currently, Chirila and her volunteer team can only perform conservation work on the baths\u2019 exterior structure. Full restoration remains impossible until legal conflicts between authorities and private owners are resolved, she explained, adding, \u201cThere\u2019s always this fear that it might collapse.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMost of the historical monuments are in their current state \u2013 meaning constant decay \u2013 because they are legally blocked,\u201d preventing utilisation of public or European funds for restoration.<\/p>\n

For now, along one side of the riverbank, visitors can enjoy three sulphur water basins \u2013 what Chirila calls \u201clittle bathtubs\u201d.<\/p>\n

Her team refurbished these basins and constructed changing booths and wooden pavilions, one of several projects they have undertaken throughout the town.<\/p>\n

In recent years, Baile Herculane, home to 3,800 residents, has experienced a steady increase in tourism, according to local officials. Some 160,000 tourists visited in 2024 \u2013 up from 90,000 in 2020 \u2013 many seeking spa treatments, but also hiking and climbing opportunities.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe resort has changed,\u201d Aura Zidarita, 50, a doctor, told the AFP news agency. She remained optimistic that it could reclaim its status as a \u201cpearl of Europe\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Graffiti mars the crumbling walls of the main thermal baths in one of Europe\u2019s oldest spa towns, Baile Herculane. Yet after decades of neglect, a dedicated team of young architects is working to revive the picturesque Romanian resort that once drew emperors to its healing waters. \u201cSomeone once said that if you drink water from … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2350,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2349","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2349","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2349"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2349\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2350"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2349"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2349"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2349"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}