THE TRADITION OF KNEIPP THERAPY 

Did you know that Kamnik, alongside the spa of Sebastian Kneipp in Wörishofen, Germany, was the most important capital of Kneipp therapy?

At the turn of the 19th to the 20th century, Kamnik was a significant destination for Kneipp therapy. The public bathing facility known as Kurhaus was located at the confluence of the Nevljica and Kamniška Bistrica rivers, where thermal water had been flowing into the Nevljica for ages. The bathing facility was established by entrepreneur Alojz Prašnikar (1821 – 1899). It had all the facilities for water treatment, including electrotherapy and massage, as well as a pool with showers and appropriate medical assistance. Next to the spa building stood the so-called Water Spa. The bathing facility had rooms for hot, cold, and spray baths. Right next to the building was a swimming pool with changing cabins and a wooden structure with various gymnastic equipment. The park itself, rich in water, played an important role in the treatment and extended all the way from the confluence of the Bistrica and Nevljica rivers. Even then, there was a highly developed additional offer of hospitality and other leisure activities.

Prašnikar, during his numerous travels, recognized the importance of foreign traffic and tourism for local areas and actively promoted it himself. He was a pioneer and initiator of modern tourism both in Kamnik and in the region of Kranjska, and one of the pioneers within the monarchy. He noticed the importance of the railway for attracting tourists even in Bled, which is why he was one of the main initiators of the construction of the railway line to Kamnik. Prašnikar's bathing facility and spa, the so-called Kurhaus, attracted numerous visitors from Ljubljana as well as from Trieste, Vienna, and Prague. Many distinguished and important personalities came, not only from the Austro-Hungarian area but from all over Europe and even from the United States of America. In July 1883, the Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph himself visited the spa.

Praise for the bathing facility and water spa in Kamnik also came from Sebastian Kneipp, the inventor of Kneipp therapy. When the number of visitors to his Wörishofen increased significantly, he began recommending a visit to the Kurhaus in Kamnik to his guests. After Prašnikar's death, spa tourism declined, and where once there was part of the spa, today there is the popular Keršmančev park with a children's playground.

Today, we continue the tradition of Kneipp therapy in Kamnik at Terme Snovik with a comprehensive Kneipp philosophy of a healthy lifestyle and the symbiosis of body and spirit.

Sebastian Kneipp (May 17, 1821 – June 17, 1897)

Founder of holistic natural healing.

»Everything we need to stay healthy is given to us by nature.« Sebastian Kneipp

Terme Snovik is the only Kneipp center in Slovenia, and you will have the opportunity to experience it during your stay through the five pillars established by Sebastian Kneipp, a German priest and water and phytotherapist. To maintain the health of body and spirit, the following are necessary: water, herbs, movement, nutrition, and a healthy lifestyle. Having cured himself of tuberculosis by bathing in the cold Danube at a young age, he decided to dedicate his life to healing people with natural elements. Kneipp's life philosophy is simple and suitable for everyone.