Olanesti Spa
Baile Olanesti station is 18 kilometers north-west from Ramnicu Valcea city, the residence of Valcea county, 180 km from Bucharest – the capital of Romania and 120 km from Sibiu city, in a Collin depression of the Meridian Carpates, at an altitude of 450 m.
The first documentary attestation of the locality dates from July 19th, 1527. Baile Olanesti city, with its constructions in old architectural style of Oltenia, is surrounded by carpates Collins with heights between 700 and 800 m. These Collins are rich in vegetation, prevailed by arbors characteristic to hill regions like beech, oak or birch.
Due to its geographical position, Baile Olanesti station has a Collin climate, the summer heat being well supported, and the winters are enough warm, being recorded a medium temperature of +9o C and an atmospheric pressure of 738 mm mercury column in July and 742 mm mercury column in December. All the atmospheric elements like temperature, precipitations, nebulousness, electrical manifestations, fog are moderate, contributing to the formation of a pleasant and healthy climate, favorable to balneary treatments for the whole period of the year.

Mineral waters, climate and air
Baile Olanesti station has the many mineral springs (over 30), different by their chemical composition, by their successful utilization on various illnesses and by their healing effects.
Few localities have the climate of these station and even fewer have the Olanesti atmosphere, lacked from that humidity and fog so hurtful even for the healthful.
The mineral waters from Olanesti station are classified as follows:
• The sulphurous waters have a desensitize action to the body of sick people with different allergic affections or dermatological illnesses.
• Diuretic waters for kidney illnesses.
• Laxative, tonic waters for alimentary canal.
• Alkaline and bicarbonate waters excellent in stomach affections.
• Ferruginous waters which efficacy is recognized by all and especially by anemic and those with blood altercations.
• Iodine, chloride, sodium and sulphurous waters for baths. [TOP]

Olanesti station possess one of the rarest particularity that is: due to its large number on mineral springs that emanate abundant gases especially sulphuretted hydrogen, the station air is in a continuous state of mineralization.
This gas, sulphuretted hydrogen, is very important to any organism, both ill and healthy because having a great affinity for oxyhemoglobin of blood which is found in lungs during inspiring units with it and penetrates in body tissue where it decompose, liberating oxygen that is given directly to those tissues of the body.
But this oxygen is a “rising oxygen” that constitute the strongest therapeutic agent for the body because it destroys by burning all foreign substances, all toxins, microbic poisons deposited in different bodies as well as in the blood of the entire body.
In other words, is the strongest known antiseptic of blood and organic tissues and is used in natural mode until nowadays. Is the regenerator of the body. [TOP]

History of the balneary treatment at Olanesti

The balneary treatment in Romania has been practiced since the roman times ( 2th century, a.d. ), proofs being visible even today at Baile Herculane or Geoagiu Bai through some constructions made to this purpose. The mineral waters from Olanesti are known and used since year 1760. The first analyses of these waters were made by dr. Karl Friederich Siller in year 1860. In 1853-1854 is made the second analysis by Petre Poenaru, and later by the chemistry teacher Alexe Marin.
Due to the general dr. Carol Davila petition who visit the station with the students of medical school from Bucharest in year 1869, the chemist doctor Bernath Lendway makes a new analysis of the springs and communicates the result on the day of June 14th,1869 through the following telegram:
“I arrived at Olanesti on June 8th, I work and I found at 12 mineral saline sources the presence of iodine in a very considerable quantity, few sources are accompanied with carbonates, meaning alkaline waters; there is also free carbonate acid, six sources with magnesium purgative waters, sixteen sulphur sources, three hundreds with freely mixed, abundant, rare development of gas. I didn’t find Ferrum waters until now. Therefore, the baths from Olanesti represent mineral waters of an extraordinary nature, rare example” .
Subscribed by dr. BERNATH

In year 1873 the mineral waters from Olanesti are sent to the exhibition from Vienna where there are examined again, obtaining the gold medal. Doctor BENATH finds the sulphur waters from Olanesti superior to those from Mehadia, the alkaline ones are identical with the waters from Vals (Ardeaches), Vichy, Chateauneuf.
The superiority of waters from Olanesti to other foreign sources is also found mentioned by dr. BERNATH in the letter addressed to Mr. P. Munteanu in august 1869 in which he express like this:  “After chemical, analytical, comparative works the mineral waters from Olanesti have been compared with many foreign sources and is has been established that there are stronger than those from Zaizon, Heibron, Wyshbad etc. regarding iodine and stronger than those from mehadia, Baden (Vienna), Schlagenbad, Weilbach, Calimanesti, Niphon, Boboci regarding sulphuratted acid, brimstone”.

Therapeutically indications:

From the large variety of affections in which are recommended the mineral waters from Olanesti we remind the following:
• Alimentary canal affections
• Hepatic - biliary  affections
• Renal and urinary ducts affections
• Dermatological affections, cutaneous allergies
• Metabolically and nutrition affections
• Respiratory affections