Lipik Spa Park

Lipik Spa Park is the central park of Lipik, a spa town in Slavonia, in eastern Croatia, set among low wooded hills in the valley of the Pakra river. It is a shaded, orderly park of tall trees, flower beds and winding paths, and it recalls the period when Lipik was one of the most fashionable health resorts in Central Europe, drawing European nobility.

Lipik’s identity comes from its water. Hot mineral springs rise here from deep underground, and they have been used for bathing and drinking for a very long time, with some traditions pointing back to the Roman period. The modern spa took shape in the nineteenth century, when Lipik was developed as a resort with bath houses, hotels and a pump room, and it attracted visitors from across the Austro-Hungarian Empire, including aristocrats and wealthy people who came to take the waters and walk in the park. The park was laid out in that period as the social and scenic core of the resort, with avenues for promenading, places to sit and listen to music and beds of flowers arranged for effect, in a taste for landscape that mixed formal and natural design.

Lipik suffered badly in the 1990s, when the fighting damaged many of its fine buildings, but the town and the park have been restored in part, and visitors now find a green, peaceful place again. The old trees are the great glory of the park, with mature species forming a canopy over the paths, and the lawns and ornamental beds are well kept. Benches invite a long pause, and the atmosphere, calm and slightly nostalgic, makes it a good place for a slow stroll or a book.

While the park is the main sight, it lies close to the other sights of Lipik. The Special Hospital for Medical Rehabilitation continues the spa tradition with treatments using the thermal water, and the Lipik Pools complex offers outdoor swimming and recreation in the warm months. The State Stud Farm, where Lipizzaner horses are bred, is one of the best-known attractions in the area, with its stables, paddocks and a small wooden chapel from the eighteenth century, and a visit combines naturally with the park. The countryside around is gently rolling, with vineyards and forests.

There are no opening hours or admission charges for the park, so it is open to everyone at any time. It suits walkers, families, spa guests and anyone who enjoys historic gardens, and spring and early autumn are the best seasons, when the trees are fresh or turning colour. Combine it with the stud farm for a satisfying day.