The discovery of remains on Puig de les Ànimes has enabled us trace the origins of the village of Caldes back to the Upper Palaeolithic . The remains indicate that Caldes was already a stopover point in the Palaeolithic period. During the hunting season, people would travel following the herds and they needed to rest in places where water was available. But it wasn’t until the 1^st century AD, with the process of Romanisation, that Caldes became an urban centre. Its thermal water played an significant part, turning Caldes into an important thermal station known as “Aquis Voconis”. Later on, with the Latin law statute, the village of Caldes went on to become a municipality. 


Aquae Calidae:
In contrast to other Roman towns that were sited for their military or strategic importance, we could say that Caldes was born out of an interest in health and leisure. People would visit the Caldes springs for their curing properties. Moreover, being located close to the Via Augusta road encouraged many travellers to stop in Caldes to rest and collect provisions.
During the 4^th and 5^th centuries AD, during the Christian period, a Paleochristian necropolis appeared between what are now Carrer Sant Esteve and Passeig de Ronda, on the outskirts of the ancient Roman centre.

Through the centuries, Caldes evolved like any other town until the medieval period. Its appearance varied somewhat with the walling of the town. A number of stretches of the wall and three circular towers can still be seen on Puig de Sant Grau. This was where Caldes castle, a symbol of feudal power, used to stand. During the time, the public Romans baths were banned and the castle was erected in its place.

Many years later, the baths were used as a hospital.

Another castle, known as Malavella, was built in the 11^th century on the hill of Sant Maurici and was particularly large for its time. The newer Sant Maurici hermitage is also located here. The church has one nave and was built using one of the castle’s towers. Nowadays, it is highly regarded by the inhabitants of Caldes and has become a place of worship.

It is worth mentioning that the nobility and clergy were well differentiated in Caldes. This explains why the Romanesque church of Sant Esteve is not situated in the urban core. Although it was located outside the city walls, the two areas later met due to the population growth forming a small suburb.

During the 17^th century, farming and handcraft activities gained relevance as travellers stopped on their route along Via Augusta.

The image we have of Caldes following this period is that of a rural town with thermal springs that are not exploited or employed for anything other than personal use. Meanwhile, during the early 19^th century, specialised spa establishments offering therapeutic treatments were being built in other areas of Catalonia .

It wasn't until the second half of the 19^th century that Caldes slowly turned into a spa town. The springs that made this possible were located on Puig de les Ànimes, with more than two springs, and the Cantera, Xica and Fetge springs. The fountains traditionally used by the inhabitants of the town were located in the centre, on Puig de Sant Grau: Els Bullidors, El Raig de Sant Grau, La Font de l’Hospital and the fountain of Sant Narcís or En Pla. Lastly, the La Mina or En Xiberta and Raig or Rec d’en Mel springs, situated close to Puig de les Moleres, were discovered in 1829 when a trench was opened to dry a marshy field.

The first modern baths were built in 1840 taking advantage of the “Els Bullidors” springs. Other smaller baths with limited capacity, which would be the precedents of the future 19^th century spas, were also built at the time.
With the construction of major spas, Caldes became consolidated as a summer town known for its spa activities. This brought about a population increase, as people moved to the area mostly from Barcelona and often belonging to the upper class.

This brought about changes to the structure of Caldes. It grew and spread around the spas' area of influence, where new Modernist buildings (chalets, houses, summer homes...) were erected. Gardens, parks and boulevards were also created for summer residents to enjoy the peaceful rural life. The new train station helped to facilitate the arrival of visitors.

The importance of the springs brought about a change in economic activities, which began to focus on the water and summer residents. As spa activities increased, the mineral water began to be commercialised, but this would not gain considerable relevance until the 1930s. These two events brought about new employment opportunities in the services sector and bottling industry.


For further information, see the urban and rural routes of Caldes, the town of springs: +