This is Sätra Brunn – a short introduction
Sätra Brunn is a health resort with a 300 year old history and has been open throughout this time.
During the second half of the 17th century, staying at a health resort and drinking healthily was the height of fashion in Europe. Medical science assumed that one became ill when the four body fluids became unbalanced. One way to get the fluids back in balance was to drink water, preferably spring water.
The Provincial Medicus in Västmanland (this part of Sweden), Samuel Skragge, came to the spring at Sätra Brunn at the year 1700 and found that the water was of such excellent quality that he decided to build a health well here. He bought the land around the spring and built a well house, bathhouse, church, hospital and lodgings. The stories of Sätra Brunn and the healing properties of its water spread quickly. In order to ensure that they secured a place to stay at Sätra on a regular basis, many high-ranking people had summer houses built next to the well. These houses are now part of “Brunnen” and several of them are named after their original owners.
It was not just society that came to Sätra Brunn, it became a popular means of treatment at that time. Then, as now, everyone was welcome. Ordinary people as well as the poor also came to Sätra Brunn.
All guests regardless of social standing in the 18th century had to follow strict rules when “drinking well”. Early in the morning the well was open to the poorest, a little later the common folk came and at six o’clock in the morning it was time for those of the highest standing to visit the spring. The guest were prescribed to drink several litres of water a day, sometimes as much as 2 gallons! Between the glasses of water, guests would walk around the park enjoying easy conversations and not causing upset to anyone, which enabled ones bodily fluids to re-balance. Conversations about religion, politics and money were forbidden as that might create feelings of upset and anxiety and such emotions could have a negative impact on the water’s ability to work.
The rest of the day was spent socialising, going out and enjoying oneself. The well also functioned as a place where, under controlled conditions, suitable marriage candidates might be found. Samuel Skragge also had a clear idea of what one should eat and drink. He prescribed restraint with brandy and considered that it could be dangerous to eat green salad and meat.
During the 19th century, the business developed and it became increasingly common for people to be prescribed bathing in the healing waters. The bath would be warmed if you were a phlegmatic or a melancholic person or cold if you were sanguine or choleric.
Perhaps it wasn’t just the water that helped make the guests healthier. The socialising and the walking will have certainly contributed to their recovery. In the well house there used to be a pile of crutches and canes that had been left behind as evidence of successful treatments and recoveries.
Today much is the same at Sätra Brunn. Regardless of the season, it is still breathtakingly beautiful and magical place; the large park areas with their walking paths and ancient trees, hundreds of houses from the 18th century onwards, memorial stones and the well house with water still coming directly from its source is open for tasting all year around.
People still come to Sätra Brunn to enhance their well-being in numerous ways. Our main business is conferences and spa stays, spiced up with weddings, concerts and music events in the pub, family celebrations and other festivities. We also have our extensive parkland, fabulous modern health treatment area with large warm swimming pool in the bathhouse and the numerous beautiful historic buildings which include our church, restaurant and craft shops.
For bookings or information, please contact us at info@satrabrunn.se or phone +46 224 54600, press 2 for booking office.
Publicerad av:
E-post: info@satrabrunn.se
Telefon: 0224-54600