Some 30,000 years ago, prehistoric people sporadically occupied what is now the town of Caldes, attracted by the presence of the springs. The Palaeolithic archaeological remains found on Puig de les Ànimes are testimony.

It is clear that Caldes owes its existence to its thermal waters. Despite flowing since ancient times, the Romans were the first to take advantage of the water’s therapeutic properties in the field of medicine.

The most important legacy left by the Romans is now one of Caldes’ most representative landmarks: the 2,000-year-old medicinal thermal baths. The Caldes thermal baths, the ancient Aquis Voconis, and later on the town of Aquae Calidae became compulsory passing places on the Via Augusta, the most important communication route between Rome and Cadiz. The importance of Caldes in Roman times can be seen on the gravestones belonging to the Emilis family of the Quirina tribe found in the church of Sant Grau. From them we can infer that Caldes was considered a municipality, a designation only granted to fifteen towns in the entire Principality, and that its inhabitants were called “Aquicaldenses”.

With the fall of the Roman Empire in the 6th century and the irruption of Christianity came a suspension in the use of thermal springs. It was a critical time marked by uprisings and constant invasions, and the highly tense scenario forced a progressive depopulation towards mountain areas.

The Castle of Caldes and its wall, a symbol of feudal power, were built above the public baths during the Middle Ages, when Caldes was repopulated. The conflicts of the time brought about the population’s withdrawal inside the fortifications.

Information regarding the entire medieval period is scarce but we do know that the thermal baths became a hospital in the 15th century and its water was used for therapeutic and hygienic purposes. In approximately 1600, the Jesuit P. Gil wrote “there are some excellent baths in Caldas de Malavella, two leagues from Girona, and many hot water springs in an area of almost a quarter or half a league”.

However, in the late 18th century, after seeing the springs traveller Zamora declared that “they are currently abandoned” and asks for “governors to promote the recovery of these baths”. However, it was not until the mid-19th century that a series of profound changes in economic activities and social and cultural traditions brought about the rebirth of thermal activity.