by Anton Zollner
Actually was already after Gh.
Drinovan since 1356 the
documentarily occupied locality
Kalatscha (official: Calacea,
ung.: Temeskalácsa) in the
correct sense never a German
village. Rather that was 5 km of
the village removed for bath
with the same name 36 years long
a German health resort. The
village Kalatscha is appropriate
for about 4 km west of the
community center Orzydorf. The
next station is in Orzydorf.
Likewise about 4 km the distance
between the health resort
Kalatscha and Mercydorf, whose
station carries remarkably the
designation "Baile Calacea"
(bath Kalatscha, amounts to).
1910 placed the 192 German
inhabitants of the predominantly
Romanian village Kalatscha a
population portion of 17,5 per
cent. In the following years
both the number of the Germans
and their portion of the village
inhabitants constantly sank.
1940 was registered here 162
Germans to people-associated.
During the census from January
still 32 persons admitted
themselves 1992 to the Deutschtum, but according to
data of the place of residence
community in Germany only 5
persons of German nationality
are to have been remaining in
February 1996 in Kalatscha.
However bath Kalatscha developed
as a German family business. The
thermal water was discovered
here by coincidence. The
countess Iphigenia let a well
d'Harcourt bore 1904 on her
property, but the enterprise ran
unsuccessfully. Only in the next
year one discovered in a depth
of 515 m water, but it was not
the desired drinking water, but
thermal water, which had a
temperature of 39° C. At the
beginning of the yearly 1910 the
married people Stefan and
Margareta cellar from Orzydorf
acquired the mentioned property,
on which the thermal water
quelle was. The advice of the
Orzydorfer of kreisarztes Dr.
Josef Parche following, the
Orzydorfer Michael blackbirds
suffering heavily from
rheumatism came in the year 1911
on the property the cellar, in
order to try, by thermal water
baeder its suffering too lindern.
After only two cures the
completely go-obstructed man had
again healed. This caused the
kreisarzt, the health authority
over sound-follows the thermal
water kur in knowledge to set.
1912 furnished two chambers with
bath tubs to cellar, and the
authorities approved a
probebetrieb of the in such a
way developing therapeutic bath
Kalatscha. The patients came
with own carts, and after
bathing they drove again to
home. After the welfare strength
of the thermalwassers became
more well-known, one had here
already 1913 5 furnished
bathrooms.
A
correct health resort bath
became Kalatscha only after the
First World War. The building
was extended to 20 bathrooms, in
addition, and for the food
supply of the kurgaeste a hotel
was opened, at the same time was
permitted the self food supply.
Here needy humans knew their
suffering lindern, like that as
this also today still the case
already at that time are. In
addition, soon kurgaeste came
from the distance, and which had
to then provide German
entrepreneur family for the
establishment of accommodations.
Thus 1926 the guesthouse "Marienheim"
developed beside the bath
building of the "Magdalenahof"
and, beside which also a chapel
was established. In this time
also the park and the flower
patches were put on. Soon was it
so far that exclusively could at
the same time offer the health
spa claimant by the family
cellar up to 200 kurgaesten
accommodation and food supply.
The advancement of this cure
enterprise was interrupted 1948,
when one put the family under
state control cellar
expropriated and the health spa.
In
the following time the health
spa Kalatscha was operated by
the Temeschburger health
authorities. The kurgaeste were
now "worker", who received
reduced in price cure maps from
their trade unions or from their
agricultural production
cooperatives. One had undertaken
in the next years no larger
extensions more, that cure
enterprise more badly than had
been quite maintained.
Correct difficulties came to
health spa to the Kalatschaer
only in the post
office-communist time. After
decades long here nothing was
invested, the buildings are
today in a very worn out
condition, and the public baths
are also obsolete. Despite this
situation after 1990 for the
possession of the therapeutic
bath Kalatscha was strongly
struggled. That Teme circle
advice, in whose possession now
the bath was, wanted to bring
the enterprise back in order and
operate it. Other committees
were against it and converted
the state enterprise into a
commercial company. This wanted
to then maintain the enterprise
by additional payments on the
part of the trade unions. These
did not play however also, and
so the bath without kurgaeste
remained; the cure enterprise
had to be stopped at the
beginning of of 1996. After one
did not find a native investor,
the circle advice decided to
release the health spa for an
international auction. Very
interested in an assumption also
the Temeschburger hospital for
Physiotherapie showed up. The
circle advice remained in
addition, further undetermined
and undertook rather nothing.
Meanwhile the bath continued to
purge also unused. Instead of
healing rheumatism suffering,
kidney diseases and digesting
disturbances here, one let the
therapeutic bath extending to 22
hectares come. In the meantime
also six inheriting the last
owner announced their
requirement on the possession of
the Kalatschaer of health spa.
In
June 1997 the "general German
newspaper for Romania" announced
that the cure enterprise already
became "subordinated" Kalatscha
one year ago a manager. Dipl.
Ing. Mircea Meltes is to have
brought bath Kalatscha in the
course of a yearly back in
course. 63 kurgaeste are to be
boarded and accommodated now
here. The necessary food is to
be produced in the own
Nebenwirtschaft. For the
well-being of the kurgaeste, who
are to receive now their cure
maps nevertheless from its trade
unions and from its employers,
19 employees provide. The
manager hoped for an imminent
privatisation, but despite all
efforts it did not create it to
rentabilisieren the cure
enterprise. Despite small
capacity the health spa is still
for a long time not fully
written off. As the experience
shows, Baile Calacea industrious
owners braeuchte instead of
attempt managers.
October 1998 Anton Zollner
See all of Zollners':
The End of the
German Villages of the Banat
Series
