Szczawnica
| Szczawnica | |||
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 Szczawnica
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| Coordinates: 49°25′N 20°29′E / 49.417°N 20.483°E | |||
| Country |
 Poland
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| Voivodeship | Lesser Poland | ||
| County | Nowy Targ | ||
| Gmina | Gmina Szczawnica | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | Grzegorz Niezgoda | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 32.9 km2 (12.7 sq mi) | ||
| Highest elevation | 510 m (1,670 ft) | ||
| Lowest elevation | 430 m (1,410 ft) | ||
| Population (2008) | |||
| • Total | 6,342 | ||
| • Density | 190/km2 (500/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Postal code | 34-460 | ||
| Car plates | KNT | ||
| Website | http://www.szczawnica.pl | ||
Szczawnica [ʂt͡ʂavˈɲit͡sa] is a resort town in Nowy Targ County in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in southern Poland. As of June 30, 2007, its population was 7,378.
Szczawnica is a well-known resort town since the mid nineteenth century. Due to the presence of alkali sorrel springs and favorable climatic conditions, many respiratory and digestive tract illnesses are treated there. In 2005 the popular local spa was officially returned by the Polish government to its prewar owners – Count Stadnicki family. The spa has almost two-hundred-year history. Its last private owner was Count Adam Stadnicki, whose grandson – Andrzej Mańkowski – is the founder of the new Uzdrowiskowe Museum being fitted in the center of Szczawnica, at Dietl Square (2009). The museum of the Szczawnica resort aims to present more than 350 different types of artifacts associated with the local therapeutics, archival documents, drawings, plans of buildings, old photographs, postcards and books.
Szczawnica has many snow skiing trails and slopes. The longest (2 km) at Palenica, is fitted with a 4-person ski lift with overhead lighting and a capacity of 2,200 people per hour. It is operated by a state agency.
The name of the town comes from “szczawy”, which is what the locals call the acidic waters. The first historical mention of the spa town dates back to the beginning of the 16th century. Until the end of the 18th century, Szczawnica was part of the Czorsztyn district. In 1839, Józef Stefan Szalay took over the administration of Szczawnica and the development of the spa resort truly began. The middle of the 19th century sees the town develop dynamically thanks to the vision of Józef Dietl, a doctor and promoter of spa resorts who visited Szczawnica in 1857. Seduced by the locality, he helped it to develop its hydrotherapy activities, already respecting the norms set by other European resorts. New thermal facilities are rapidly developed.
New thermal springs are discovered one after the other. Before dying, Józef Szalay ceded the management of his thermal establishment to the Academy of Learning in Kraków, which continued the visionary work of its founder despite financial difficulties. This is how the Dworek Gościnny (Guest Manor), renowned throughout Europe, was built.
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Wikipedia