Iveta Gabaliņa

Cēsis has a special historical place in the practice of cold water therapy. In mid-19th century, Cēsis physician Georg von Meyer opened a cold water therapy establishment in the city. It employed several methods whose founder is considered to be Silesian peasant farmer Vincenz Priessnitz. Priessnitz's methods were based on the idea that cold water is beneficial to the treatment of different ailments. Furthermore, owing to the numerous springs located in the Gauja Valley, Cēsis was especially suitable for the practice of Priessnitz's hydrotherapy.

The springs found in the environs of Cēsis serve as the work's point of departure. Their survey has resulted in a visual collection of springs in landscape, accompanied by staged visualisations of Priessnitz's cold water therapies.