MEET EXTREMADURA
HEALTH TOURISM
ALANGE SPA
CONTENTS:
TECHNICAL DATA
Name
Alange Spa
Address
C/ Baños, 58 - 06840 Alange. Badajoz
Telephone number
+ 34 924 36 51 06 /+ 34 924 36 52 13 /+ 34 924 36 53 05
Fax
924 36 51 68
Webside
Director
D. Fernando Fdez.-Chiralt Navarro
Location and access
From Almendralejo take the C-423 in the direction of Don Benito, some 22 kilometres away approximately. Otherwise take the N-630 in the direction of Mérida and just after the town of Torremegía, take the road to the right which joins the C-423 mentioned earlier. From Mérida, the Capital of the Autonomous Region, a local road leads to Alange, some 18 kilometres away.
Season
From the 1st of March to the 30th of June and from the 1st of October to the 10th of December (low season).
From the 1st of July to the 30th of September (high season).
Spa Opening Hours
Mornings from 9:00 to 13:00.
Evenings from 17:00 to 19:00
Guided visits to the monument may be made but advance booking is required. The Spa’s Roman thermal baths (declared a Monument of National Interest) have special visiting hours.
A SHORT HISTORY
There is no shortage of numerous interesting historical references to the Alange Spa and texts and sources tell us of the Roman occupation of a good part of Extremadura which became the Roman province known as Lusitania and which had as its capital Emérita Augusta, today’s autonomous capital, Mérida.
Alange Spa Roman Remains
Alange’s proximity to Mérida and the curative powers of its thermal waters made it very well known in Roman times and again centuries later during the Arab occupation. For centuries it was frequently remembered and used by those who saw in these thermal waters a natural way to cure their physical problems.
Important structures dating back to the original Roman thermal station have been conserved and archaeological inscriptions and remains clearly testify to its relationship with the founders of Emerita Augusta. An example of the properties of Alange's thermal waters can be seen in the patio of the Spa where a marble Roman altar stone dedicated to the goddess Juno gives thanks for the healing of the daughter of a patrician family.
This altar stone is not just an epigraph to the curative powers of the Spa’s waters, rather, and this is its most important aspect, it is a historical testimony to the fact that in the 3rd and 4th centuries of our era, Alange and its Spa must have been quite famous amongst the inhabitants of Roman Lusitania.
The layout of the thermal baths themselves, the drains and the archaeological remains found in the area talk to us again of the Roman origin of the exploitation of these waters as public baths and probably even as a recreational area for the inhabitants of Emérita Augusta, only some 18 kilometres away along a road which runs along the banks of the Matachel and the Guadiana Rivers and which even today is still used to connect the two towns.
It is probable that the arrival of Visigoth culture to this land brought with it the decadence of Alange’s thermal baths and indeed in many other such baths in other towns.
The Arab domination brought with it the revival of certain habits and customs favoured by the Romans, amongst which was the use of thermal waters, an aspect of their customs and creed. The occupation of Extremadura by the Kingdoms of Leon and Castile would bring in its wake the complete abandonment of the Spa which would not be used again until the end of the 18th century, thanks to the restoration work carried out by Don Mateo Antonio Vaca de Vargas and Don Cristóbal del Solar, neighbours of Villafranca de los Barros.
The 19th century proved positive for the Alange spa, especially the decision by the Badajoz Provincial Council to authorise its refurbishment in 1822 which allowed work to begin on a definitive edifice built over the ancient pond which is the source of the spring’s gushing waters. General San Juan, the Regional Capitan General, was to be of great importance for the future life and fame of the Spa. Cured by the Spa’s mineral-medicinal waters, he sought financial backing from the Royal family with which he visibly improved the look of abandonment which the established offered at that time.
In an auction held that century, Don Abdón Berbén Blanco, a graduate in Medicine and Surgery acquired the Spa and the adjoining hospital which had been built at a cost of 51.000 escudos. He carried out an interesting extension and remodelling of the complex which as a result was able to offer a great number of rooms, each with columns of Italian marble, swimming pools, a waiting room, Management offices, hot water and a beautiful park designed and landscaped - once neighbouring cottage gardens had been purchased.
The Spa remained the property of the heirs of Abdón Berbén until 1985 when it became a Chartered Company.
THE WATER
The water in this thermal bath is composed of ferrous bicarbonate, calcium, magnesium and calcium sulphate, sodium and magnesium chloride and metaphylactic acid. The volume of the spring’s flow is 316 litres per minute.
Recently the Chemistry Faculty of the University of Extremadura carried out a conscientious analysis of the waters from the spring which concluded that they are oligometalic and that they contain multiple minerals, radioactive acracotherms and are organoleptic in character.
Indoor pool
THERAPEUTIC PROPERTIES
Conditions of the Locomotor Apparatus
Osteoarthritis in any part of the body, Rheumatic arthritis in non-serious phases, Rheumatism in soft tissues (muscles, ligaments, etc.), Recovery from general and sport-related traumatisms, Lumbago, sciatica etc.
Conditions of the Respiratory Apparatus
Chronic catarrhal Laryngitis, Chronic spastic Bronchitis, Bronchial Asthma, Recurring catarrhal processes in Infants.
Conditions of the Nervous System
Neurovegetative dystonia, Migraines, headaches, neuralgias and sleeplessness, Symptomatic psychosis, nervous exhaustion, states of depression, Essentials epilepsy, Infant neurosis and psychomotor agitation, Postmenopausal syndrome.
Alterations in the Circulatory System
Intermittent Claudication, Moderate Hypertension, Arthritis, venous insufficiency and varicose veins.
Sport Training Support
For peak fitness and recovery from injuries.
Allergic reactions
Urticaria, General sensitivity to allergies.
Gynopathies
Dysmenorrhoea, Other ailments of the female genitalia.
NOTE: In certain cases treatment may be contraindicated. For that reason clients suffering from important infections are requested to provide us with a copy of their medical records and to come accompanied.
Hydrothermal treatments
AApplications of Ozone vapour, Thermal Hydro massage, Aquathermal nebulisations, Natural water pools at 27.5ºC, Hot water baths at 34/36ºC, Massive, cold, hot and circular, Scotch Showers, Hot jets, Perineal irrigation, Aerosol inhalations, thermal water and medicinal oxygen, Bubble baths and subaquatic showers, Abbot Kneipp’s natural treatment in special gardens, Applications of parafango, massages, Vichy showers.
FACILITIES
Specialised medical Consultancy (Hydrology and Rheumatology), Children’s swimming pool, Kneipp Gardens, An extensive landscaped interior garden. A terrace, bar and cafeteria, Canoes.
THE SURROUNDING AREA
Almendralejo, Hornachos, La Zarza, Mérida, Palomas, Cornalvo Nature Park y Puebla de la Reina.
