The
Spa - History
The historic references of this spa go as far as the roman period. The soils surrounding the banks of the Erges were excavated and drained at that time with the purpose of finding gold lumps. Even today one can still find little piles of rocks and holes resulting from the auriferous exploration. Simultaneously, the Romans were interested in the waters of Serra de Penha Garcia, having established spas at Mansatela, Salvador, Ramiro, Penha Garcia, Foro, Badanais, Brejos, Gorgolão, Monfortinho and Fonte Santa. The “healing power” reputation of these waters is still alive today, consolidated by a curious tradition: the cure of mange (a skin disease) that had affected prince Francisco’s (brother of king José) pack of hounds, who took baths here during the customary royal hunts to wild boars, deer and other species. One should refer the first known medical accounts: António Nunes Ribeiro Sanches in the “Discourse on the waters of Penha Garcia”, Francisco da Fonseca Henriques in the well-know “Aquilégio Medicinal”, António Pedrosa Barreto in the monograph “Memorial or History of the Fonte Santa de Monfortinho’s Baths”.
Last century, the Spanish were Monfortinho’s main visitors. They would spend the night in shacks in the woods so that they could procure relief to their pains during the day, through the effect of water, at a place today called “Banho Velho”.
The definitive institutionalisation of the spa comes about thanks to the enthusiastic and persistent spirit of Dr. José Gardete Martins (1869-1957) who, facing numerous difficulties and misunderstandings, dedicated all his life to the cause of therapeutical use of Fonte Santa’s waters. The granting of a permit exploration concession of the thermal aquiferous took place on the 9th of January 1907, but it was necessary to go through a long way of sacrifices to erect today’s health-resort (inaugurated in 1940) and to possess the magnificent premises that are today available. Firstly, all the transforming work undertook by a Beira distinguished family, the Counts of Covilhã, must be pointed out. They left a high quality mark on the buildings as well as on the services. Successive generations of the spa’s visitors benefited from that, as did the local population who had the chance of receiving a professional training and social promotion worthy to mention.
Nowadays, the differentiated management and the ambitious delineated planning definitely project the Spa of Monfortinho to the highest quality degrees, at the national as well as international level, preserving nonthesame a unique and extremely rich natural environment and raising in power the therapeutical and tourist offer of this Thermal Station.
Itinerary - how to reach Termas de Monfortinho
News
A special way to spend weekends and vacations...
