Spa is a Belgian town located in Liège Province, and the town where the term spa originates. Spa is one of Belgium's most popular tourist destinations, being renowned for its natural mineral springs and production of 'Spa' mineral water, which is exported worldwide. In 2021, the town became part of the transnational UNESCO World Heritage Site under the name 'Great Spas of Europe'.
As the site of cold springs with alleged healing properties, Spa has been frequented as a watering-place since the 14th century. It is the town of Spa which has become eponymous with any place having a natural water source that is believed to possess special health-giving properties, known as a spa. The Spa town grew at that time, in the oldest iron and steel centre of Liège Province. The ban Spa was created around 1335 and included two urban concentrations, vilhe of Creppe and vilhe Spas, 2 kilometres away. Prior to the exploitation of mineral water, the steel industry developed communication lines, which made it possible to develop the spa town.
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The Château du Lude is one of the many great châteaux of the Loire Valley in France. Le Lude is the most northerly château of the Loire Valley and one of the last important historic castles in France, still inhabited by the same family for the last 260 years. The château is testimony to four centuries of French architecture, as a stronghold transformed into an elegant house during the Renaissance and the 18th century. The monument is located in the valley of Le Loir. Its gardens have evolved throughout the centuries.