City of Băile Herculane

An hour's drive and 40 km north west of Drobeta Turnu Severin, 19 km from the city of Orsova, the small town and spa at the river Cerna (5,000 inhabitants) has existed since AD153. An inscription verifies the presence of Romans here, who established a first spa called Aqua Herculi, dedicated to Greek-Roman mythical hero-god Heracles. Archaeological discoveries in the ancient historic part of town indicate that there was even an aqueduct to transport warm water from thermal springs to the Roman baths. Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius visited with his wife. After the retreat of the Romans, the whole complex was forgotten. It was an Austro-Hungarian field marshal von Hamilton, who rebuilt the ancient Spa in 1718 as Herkulesbad. New infrastructure was built, and the little village became an illustrious holiday and recreation spot for high ranking visitors. In 1811, 944 spa guests were counted. In 1880 only 336 people lived in Herculesbad while the nearby village Pecinisca had a population of some 600. It definitely became a hot spot when Austrian emperor Franz Josef and his wife empress Elizabeth, better known as Sisi, declared Herkulesbad one of their favourite places and visited it in 1884, 1887, 1890, 1892 and 1896.

Today the  town of Băile Herculane (Herkules Bath), built around 1970, is a truly busy place with hotels, restaurants, bars, market areas and spas, while the ancient place remains a time capsule of its own.A total of 15 thermal springs with thermal water between 38°C and 67°C lie along a stretch of 4km. The most prominent one is the building around ancient Hercules Place with a monumental statue of Hercules erected in 1847. The bronze work was designed by sculptors Romelmayer and Glants in Vienna. There are still Roman baths to be admired in the ground floor of Hotel Roman, there are the Austrian style baths like Apollo I and Apollo II, built between 1883 and 1886 by Austrian architect Wilhelm von Doderer, there is the Baile Herculane Resort Museum with relics of the Roman times, and there is the Casino opened in 1913. While some hotels like Hotel Ferdinand and Hotel Cerna have been renovated and offer their own spas and wellness treatments, there is still a lot to invest to bring back the glamour of the 19^th century to the whole complex. One eminent step forward is the installation of Hercules Bath along Cerna Valley with bas-reliefs, illustrating ancient myths of Hercules. Seven tourist routes provide access for visitors. There are a number of annual festivals during the season, including the International Folk Festival Hercules, the Festival of Brandy from Banat, the folk festival Nedeea, the Grape Ball and even the Romanian Spiritual Congress. Hotels offer 5,000 beds in all, most in the main town, but also some exclusive hotels in the old Austro-Hungarian settlement along Cerna river.

Băile Herculane is within the Domogled-Valea Cernei National Park, a protected area of 61,211 hectares that was opened in 2000. There are also several caves in the surroundings. For information and bookings contact Băile Herculane Tourist office and the booking website of the Spa hotels.

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