The city centre of Piešťany is situated in an immediate vicinity of the Spa Island, they are connected with the Colonnade Bridge – a bridge for the pedestrians.
Today’s centre of the town, the streets and the buildings were built mainly during a huge expansion, after which the Winter family in 1889 took a management over the health spa.
For all that the most of the buildings were built in an Art Nouveau style in the late 19th century and in early 20th century, as well as in a functionalism (in an interwar period). The pedestrian zone together with about 25 hectares large town park offers to the visitors and the citizens of Piešťany the walks in a pleasant and healthy environment.
Let´s walk through our town centre and town park with the following photos:
The Colonnade Bridge – one of the architectonic treasures of Piešťany, with about 150 meters the longest overbuilt bridge for the pedestrians in Slovakia)
On the front side of the bridge stands – thanks to Winter family – the symbol of Piešťany – the statue of Crutch-breaker symbolized a healing effect of a spa treatment. The Crutch-breaker is situated also on the arma of the town and it is an international trade-mark.
Only a few steps from the Crutch-breaker stands a small spa chapel built in a Neo-Gothic style in 1897. On Saturday in the afternoon – traditionally in Slovakia – usually take place here the weddings.
Along the Villa Alexander in an Art-Nouveau style from 1912 (named for Alexander Winter, the Ľudovít Winter´s father – see the chapter A history of the spa town) you come to…
…At the beginning of the pedestrian zone, named for Winter family – Winterova street, on the left side in the photo Hotel Jalta owned by the spa (built in 1929 – 1930, originally known as Hotel Excelsior)
On the pedestrian zone there are situated the cafes, the confectioners and the restaurants with the terraces, and on the right side in the photo is the oldest building in the centre of Piešťany, which was already mentioned in 1642 in the poem of Trajan as an inn for the rich spa guests. After many rebuildings in the end of 19th century became this building today´s design, later was here a seat of the spa direction.
Across the Winterova street is built a great palatial building – previous Hotel Green Tree (Zelený dom), which was early 20th century rebuilt to two joint burgher´s houses in an Art-Nouveau style. Here lived also the Winter family and beside an entrance is situated a thankful board with the writing: “In this house lived and worked Ľudovít Winter, the builder of the thermal health spa Piešťany and the establisher of its world significance.”
A traffic road in the town centre, on the left side a shopping centre and on the both sides the bus stops for the buses going to and from the Spa Island.
Alongside of the pedestrian zone is a large town park located.
… with the broad paths and many big trees offering enough shade by a walking.
At the edge of the town park is the building named Kursalon situated, built in 1894 as an entertainment centre. It was a first big building plan of Winter family. There is a celebration hall, a smaller hall, a restaurant and the Balneological Museum.
In a large celebration hall take place the concerts, the theatre performances, the dancing evenings, the various exhibitions and the weddings.
An entrance to the Balneological Museum – the town museum, where is a historical and cultural development of Piešťany presented.
The impressive spa hotel Slovan (previous Royal) built in 1907 is since a half of 1980s closed.
The Beethovenova street beside the Kursalon with the reconstructed Art-Nouveau Villas belongs to the nicest in town.
Across this alley you can walk from the pedestrian zone to the Colonnade Bridge.
The town information centre is located in an entrance part of the Colonnade Bridge. You can get here an important information about the town and the spa, receive the maps, the prospects and the books of Piešťany and its surroundings…
