Ķemeri
Ķemeri resort is a part of Jūrmala in Latvia, 44 km from Riga. From 1928 to 1959, Ķemeri was a separate town, famous for the healing mud baths and luxurous hotel. Now about 2 200 inhabitants live there, while the main hotel is under reconstruction.
History
The name Ķemeri (Kemmern) first appears in written sources after founding of the Dukedom of Courland in 1561. Documentary evidence indicates that the springs at Ķemeri first became known for their curative properties in 1796, the first chemical analysis of the spring water being performed in 1818. The residents of the near-by town of Sloka began to build houses for the patients. In 1825, the first public building was built for spa quests. Bad Kemmern was founded as a resort in 1838, when the emperor Nicholas I of Russia gave this land for building the first bath-house with mineral water, from that time people started to come here for treatment.
The Ķemeri resort became rather popular in the Russian Empire. In 1912, a direct railway link was created between Ķemeri and Moscow. The connection with the beach of Jaunķemeri was provided by electrical tram. Nerve disease, as well as diseases of joints, bones and muscles were treated in resort. Treatment with sulfuring water and mud baths also functioned. The annual number of people visiting the resort reached 8,300. During World War I, the battles between German and Russian forces lasted several years were only a few miles from Ķemeri. The resort was devastated and the train station was destroyed.
The newly created Republic of Latvia tried to restore the previous glory of Ķemeri. In 1924, a special bathing facility was built for mud baths equipped with mechanical hot mud feed and the pumping of used mud back to the bog. In 1929, a 42 m tall water tower with sightseeing platform at the top was built near the bathing facility. The most impressive building was Hotel Ķemeri called "White Ship" with more than 100 rooms designed by famous Latvian architect Eižens Laube which was opened to guests in 1936.