History of Ramlösa
On June 17th
1707, King
Karl XII turned 25 years old. Fate had already decided where he would be then,
but on this day the Ramlösa Hälsobrunn was inaugurated in his honour. The man
responsible for opening the health spa was district medical officer Johan Jacob
Döbelius. During his visits to the region, Döbelius had found out that the water
from Ramlösa had worked wonders on the sick.
Marketing the healing waters of
Ramlösa Hälsobrunn began early on. In 1708 Johan Jacob Döbelius had a brochure
published, which described the park at the spa. Readers could then get an idea
of the beautiful natural surroundings, the district´s many sightseeing
opportunities and read an objectiv account of the resort´s excellent postal
service.
In the brochure it was explained
that the water from Ramlösa had a very good effect on the health. According to
Döbelius, the water could be used to cure scurvy, vertigo and gout, as well as
trembling limbs. He also considered that the water was a first-class treatment
for upset stomachs as well as shortness of breath and bad-smelling
breath.
The health spa of that time had a very serious attitude to the
medicinal powers of Ramlösa. Drinking the spa waters was not just an amusement,
it was a way of regenerating energy and curing illnesses.
The health spa's guests were
farmers, manual workers, lawyers, tailors, noblemen and soldiers. For the very
poor, their visit to the health spa was free of charge. Thanks to generous
donations from the rich, they were able to drink the water and receive proper
health care. For the rich, their stay at Ramlösa was in many respects a pleasure
trip. They drank the water and were treated by the spa doctor, but the social
life and entertainment were the most important.
Drinking of the spring
water began at 4 o'clock in the morning. The poor were first
in line. When they had finished, it was the turn of the farmers and manual
workers. At about 11 o'clock in the morning the rich came down
to the spring to fill their crystal glasses.
For almost
200 years, people drank the water that came out of a sandstone rock in
Ramlösadalen. But the natural Ramlösa mineral water was accidentally discovered
at the end of the 19th century.
At the time, a team of workmen was
drilling for coal near Brunnsparken. Luckily they never found what they were
looking for. They only found large quantities of water. Drilling was therefore
stopped, and the sad team went home.
A few years later, in 1895, the
superintendent of the spring was having trouble with his steam boilers. Scale
was continually forming in them, and better-quality water than that being taken
from the nearby stream was needed. The Managing Director at that time, Baron
Uggla, suggested using water from the borehole. The boiler scale
disappeared.
Surprised by these results, he had the water analysed, and
the reply was more positive than he could ever have hoped. The water was just as
pure and rich in minerals as the famous Neuenahr's health water of the
time.
A new era had begun. The water that
we know today as the natural Ramlösa mineral water had been discovered.
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BOTTLED WATER ANALYSIS:
Light
The Water Connoisseur
