Terme Dobrna

Dobrna claims the title of Slovenia's oldest spa town: its warm-water basins, known as the Topli vrelec, were already frequented by Celts and later Romans, long before the source was first documented in writing in 1403. In 1605, Carthusian monks from Žiče built the first wooden bathhouse, and in 1624 Matija Gačnik erected the first proper thermal establishment, marking the achievement with a marble plaque still visible today.

The alkaline water, rich in calcium, magnesium and bicarbonates, rises naturally at around 35 to 36.5 degrees. Tucked into a wooded valley in the Savinja region, the town has kept the understated charm of a small spa retreat, far from the bustle of larger complexes, with its first official resident physician appointed as early as 1864.