Ustroń Mineral Water Pump Room

Ustroń is the only town in the Silesian Beskids with official spa status, yet for a long time it had no pump room of its own. Today a glazed pavilion stands in the Spa Park in Zawodzie, on ul. Sanatoryjna, its shape echoing Ustroń's famous "pyramids". The water comes from the Zygmunt spring, and in front of the building a brine fountain lets you breathe mineral-rich air.

Water from the Zygmunt spring

The water is slightly acidic (pH 6.6) and classed as bicarbonate-calcium water. Its hardness sits on the border between very soft and soft, so it tastes mild. The idea of a pump room appeared in 2008, when the town, together with Karviná in the Czech Republic, applied for funding for a spa park; the mayor spoke of boreholes that had confirmed drinkable mineral water at a depth of 160–180 m. The same plans included a fountain using brine that until then had only been used for therapeutic baths.

Brine fountain and park

In front of the pump room is a brine fountain: brine sprays from more than a dozen nozzles, and walking around it works like a short inhalation session. The Spa Park adjoins the resort's buildings – right next to it rise the modernist "pyramids" of the communist era, designed by Henryk Buszko, Aleksander Franta and Tadeusz Szewczyk. The ensemble is included in Phaidon's atlas of the best 20th-century architecture, so it is worth looking at the buildings properly rather than treating them as a backdrop.

Tripto tip

The pump room is in the spa district of Zawodzie, on the slopes of Równica, a few kilometres from Ustroń town centre. Allow 20–30 minutes for the water and a few laps of the fountain, longer if you want to stroll in the park. Bring your own cup or bottle. Opening hours may vary with the season, so check them with Uzdrowisko Ustroń before you go. The visit combines easily with a trip up Równica or a walk among the Zawodzie pyramids.