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Salsomaggiore was already known in the Celtic and Roman times for the extraction from the thermal waters of the salt, a
very precious good at these times. The first written document in which Salsomaggiore is mentioned dates up to the
year 798 a.d. and it concerns the privilege to extract the salt that emperor Charles the Great granted to the inhabitants
of the place. During the Middle Ages, Salsomaggiore was first under the control of the "Pallavicino" family, and then, after
numerous vicissitudes, it was annexed to the duchy of Parma and Piacenza, ruled by the "Farnese" and the "Borbone" families.
The rich Middle Ages story of the territory is testified by the
castles, four within a range of 10 Kms.
After the Congress of Vienna, the duchy of Parma and Piacenza was assigned to Marie Louise of Austria, widow of Napoleon I.
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The exploitation of thermal waters for curative purposes started during the government of Marie Louise. The first one to
recognize the therapeutic power of the waters was in 1839 doctor Lorenzo Berzieri. In the same period Marie Louise purchased
the springs of Tabiano and built here thermal baths. In a short period all the work of salt extraction was replaced
by the thermal baths. In the second half of 19th Century the development of Salso followed the fast development of
thermalism.
The first years of 20th Century were a period of great ferment for Salsomaggiore: the Great Hotel of Thermes (now Congress
Hall) was built in 1900 and received guests as the Queen Margaret of Savoy; in 1923 it was completed the thermal spa
"Berzieri", a monumental building that became the symbol of the city.
Salsomaggiore was (and still is) characterized by the architectural and artistic Liberty and Deco styles, typical of
the European art at the beginning of the 20th Century. The European dimension of Salsomaggiore is still evident and
today people from all Europe reach our "health city" for a period of thermal treatments or relax.
The photo above shows the thermal spa Berzieri in 1923, while the second photo (of the same year) shows Vittorio Emanuele
square (today Liberty square) with the town hall of Salsomaggiore.
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