Greek spa town Loutraki hosted the annual general assembly of the European Historic Thermal Towns Association (EHTTA) this week, with heritage preservation, water-resource management, and sustainable tourism on the agenda.
The two-day meeting on October 20-22, brought together representatives of historic spa towns from across Europe to discuss shared challenges affecting historic thermal destinations, including protecting natural springs, maintaining historic buildings, and adapting traditional spa tourism to modern sustainability priorities.
Loutraki’s own thermal heritage was a central theme of the program. European Thermal Heritage Day featured presentations on the development of Greek spa towns during the first half of the 20th century, examining architecture, tourism and influence on social and economic life.
Delegates also visited the historic thermal spring building in Loutraki. Other activities included the customary Bathrobe Addicts Walk along the seafront and a presentation tracing Loutraki’s development as a spa destination.
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A 1935 vintage poster designed by Angelos Spachis advertising Loutraki.
The program comes to a close on Thursday, October 22, with a meeting of mayors and an open forum at the Loutraki Thermal Spa focusing on water resources and wellbeing, under the theme of sustainable water-resource management.
Founded in 2009, EHTTA promotes the preservation of Europe’s historic thermal towns and manages the European Route of Historic Thermal Towns, certified as a Cultural Route of the Council of Europe in 2010.
The association has 55 members across 21 European countries and two international partners. Its network includes established spa destinations such as Vichy in France, Baden-Baden in Germany, and Spa in Belgium. Recent additions include Escaldes-Engordany in Andorra and Kyustendil in Bulgaria.
Loutraki is a seaside town on the Gulf of Corinth, 81 kilometres west of Athens.
MP