6. Hot Springs and Their Cultural Heritage

This chapter takes an alternative approach to the history of hot springs by focusing on the cultural geoheritage with examples from different countries. Hot spring sites have played a consistent role in determining human settlements as they were not only important points of water supply, but they also provided a source of warm and mineral-rich water with healing benefits. The cultural knowledge from early civilisations was passed on from one generation to the next and reflects the special cultural, mythological, and religious connections different societies had with natural water sources. For thousands of years different societies used hot spring sites as centres for cultural activities and communal gatherings. To this day purification and cleansing rituals in combination with prayer are still a tradition to refresh and balance body, mind, and soul.