Hot Springs National Park
Hot Springs National Park | ||
---|---|---|
Area of the national park | ||
|
||
Location: | United States | |
Next city: | Hot Springs, Arkansas | |
Surface: | 22.5 km² | |
Founding: | March 4, 1921 | |
Visitors: | 1,506,887 (2018) | |
Address: | Hot Springs National Park | |
The Hot Springs National Park is a US - National Park in the state of Arkansas at the edge of the town of Hot Springs and the Ouachita Mountains . The park has several hot are sources (Engl. Hot Springs ).
As early as April 20, 1832, the sources were made accessible to the public as a Hot Springs Preserve by a parliamentary resolution. The aim was not to keep the hot springs in their natural environment, but to make hot water available for the population. The spring water flows down the mountain Hot Spring Mountain on the western slope and is collected in basins. The designation of the Hot Springs Preserve in 1832 was the first designation of a protected area in the USA. Since 1983 there has been an observation tower on the Hot Spring, the Hot Spring Mountain Tower . The protected area also includes the water cycle from which the springs are fed. In 1921 the area around Hot Springs and the springs were designated as a national park. The Hot Springs National Park was initially 900 acres (360 hectares) in size and was later extended to 5,000 acres (2,000 ha). It is the smallest national park in the USA in terms of area.
The hot water was said to have healing effects and it was used for therapeutic purposes. People have come to the hot springs from far away. You can still bathe in the spring water today. The old bath houses are under monument protection ( National Historic Landmark ).
Web links
- National Park Service: Hot Springs National Park (official site; English)