Rogaška Slatina is Slovenbia's oldest and largest spa town. It includes a cure factory, where you can enjoy therapies such as spruce-needle baths and lymph drainage. Rogaška Slatina lies in the forested foothills of the Macelj range. The region's two highest peaks, Boc and Donacka Gora, are visible from Rogaška Slatina.

Accordong to legend the magnesium-rich Slatina spring was discovered, when Apollo advised the winged horse Pegasus to drink from that spring, instead of the magic Hippocrene fountain.

In Roman times the spring was known, but it was not until 1574, when the governor of Styria, Wolf Ungnad, came to enjoy Slatina's waters on the advice of his physician, that the town became better known. About a 100 years later, a publication stated that the Slatina springs had helped the ailing viceroy of Croatia and had healing powers.

After that news spread to Vienna, people started arriving in larger amounts and cash started pouring into the town. The water was bottled in bottles that were produced by the nearby glass works.

There is a parish church in town that is dedicated to the Holy Cross. A Romanesque church existed there at least as early as the 13th century. It was razed in 1863 and the following year, construction of a new church commenced. The new Neo-Romanesque church was completed in 1866 and it is the building you can see nowadays. Another church is located adjacent to the town of Prnek. It dates from the 17th century.

There are numerous places to stay and eat in Rogaška Slatina. The town is 90 km east of Ljubljana, in the east of Slovenia and not far from the border with Croatia (The border crossing a Rogatec is only 7 km (4 mi) southeast of town). Rogaška Slatina has bus and train connections with the capital via Celje.

Rogaška Slatina ©Igor Pečovnik