Members of the Great Spa Towns of Europe (GSTE) have gathered in Františkovy Lázně in the Czech Republic this week to take part in the first-ever General Assembly of the GSTE.

The convention is being led by the recently-elected chair of the board, Stefan Szirucsek, mayor of Baden bei Wien in Austria.

GSTE members and the site managers of each of the 11 towns (see full list below) will be joined by members of the International Steering Group – a committee made up of representatives of the States’ Parties from each of the five countries included in the GSTE.

During the three-and-a-half-day convention, the mayors will be conducting interviews to appoint a new secretary general to take over the day-to-day running of the organisation, once the current secretary general Paul Simons retires.

Szirucsek said: “Since our inscription as a World Heritage Site in 2021, the GSTE has been developing important structures and systems to take us forward and protect our world-class cultural heritage.

“One important aspect of the meeting will be the discussion of the State of Conservation Report which will be delivered at UNESCO this year. We also have a huge responsibility in appointing a new secretary general and I'm very pleased that we’ve attracted an extremely high calibre of candidates from around Europe for this pivotal role.”

Mayor of Františkovy Lázně, Jan Juchar, said: “Hosting the first General Assembly is a great honour for us and I’m looking forward to welcoming friends and colleagues from the association, the Karlovy Vary region and around Europe to our wonderful spa town.

“We’ve planned an informative programme around the meetings and study tours will take delegates to the peat moorlands as well as to our unique carbon dioxide baths.”

The Great Spa Towns of Europe

• Baden bei Wien, Austria.• Spa, Belgium.

• Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic.• Marianske Lazne, Czech Republic.

• Frantiskovy Lazne, Czech Republic.• Vichy, France.

• Baden-Baden, Germany.• Bad Ems, Germany.

• Bad Kissingen, Germany.• Montecatini Terme, Italy.

• Bath, UK.