Bath, England: Roman Baths

Of course a city name Bath has a good-sized ancient public bathing area. Did you expect anything else?

Maybe you did. But this city was in the bath business about 2,000 years ago. No wonder the city took its name from that activity.

When the Romans arrived around that time, they noticed the hot spring nearby. They connected the water there to a facility in the middle of downtown. The engineering in hindsight is absolutely amazing. All sorts of rooms were set up for the facility, which was open to the public. When the Romans left after 400 years of domination, the Baths deteriorated. 

However, plenty of effort has been put into restoring the area in relatively recent years. Most of the buildings now date back to the 19th century. However, there are some relics that are on display in the facility's museum sections. The new and improved Baths were open to public use until 1978, when a woman died after her swim. Now no one is allowed in the water, although a spring is used for public baths in a nearby and relatively new facility.

It's quite an experience to walk into the complex, knowing the history of the site.