Szczawnica

Szczawnica lies in a valley on the northern edge of the Pieniny and was developed from the 1830s by Jozef Szalay into a spa on the Austrian model, using alkaline mineral springs that are still drawn in a pump room in the park. The wooden spa architecture along Plac Dietla - verandas, carved balconies, painted timber - was restored after the property was returned in 2005 to the descendants of its pre-war owners, the Stadnicki family, and the centre now looks considerably better than it did for most of the twentieth century. The town is where the Dunajec raft trip finishes: rafts poled through the limestone gorge from Sromowce land here, and the walk or cycle back along the river on the Slovak or Polish bank is a standard day. A chairlift runs up Palenica for views and a summer toboggan run. Water from the springs is sold and drunk on the spot; the taste is not to everyone's liking.

History

The name comes from szczawy, the local word for the acidic mineral waters, and the spa is first mentioned at the beginning of the 16th century. Józef Stefan Szalay took over Szczawnica in 1839 and began its growth as a resort, the doctor Józef Dietl visited in 1857 and helped develop its treatments, and Count Adam Stadnicki bought it in 1909; in 2005 it was returned to the descendants of its pre-war owners, who rebuilt the eastern side of Dietl Square by 2008 (Wikipedia, Szczawnica).

What you'll find

• Wooden spa architecture - verandas and carved balconies restored around Plac Dietla.
• The pump room - alkaline springs still drawn and drunk on site.
• The raft landing - where the Dunajec gorge trip from Sromowce ends.
• Palenica chairlift - views over the Pieniny and a summer toboggan run.

When to go

May to September, with the rafts. A day.

Good to know

Rafting runs only in season and stops in high water. The town fills in July and August. Spa treatments are for registered patients, not walk-ins. The mineral water tastes strongly of sulphur salts.

Nearby

The Dunajec gorge and Trzy Korony are upstream; Krosnica and Niedzica are west.

Key facts