December 5, 2023 - Thermencheck Award 2023

Sole Felsen Welt is Austria's most popular thermal spa in 2023

Gmünd, December 5, 2023. Sole Felsen Welt receives first place in the vote for Austria’s most popular thermal spa out of over 40 participating thermal spas!

At Sole Felsen Welt in Gmünd, the joy couldn’t be much greater. Out of the 40 Austrian thermal spas up for consideration, Sole Felsen Welt in Gmünd took first place and was awarded GOLD at the 2023 Thermencheck Award on December 5 during the official ceremony in Bleiburg at the Petzen Mountain’s upper station.

As it does every year, Austria’s largest wellness portal, Thermencheck, called on visitors to vote for Austria’s most popular thermal spas. As an independent institution, it is authorized to present the Gold, Silver, and Bronze Awards to the spas selected by visitors, as well as to honor the “Rising Star of the Year.”

With phenomenal and unprecedented participation, over 400,000 people cast their votes this year for the country’s most popular spas! The Thermencheck.com Award thus attests to its significant importance for the entire Austrian wellness industry.

Austria's most popular thermal spas are therefore:

GOLD Award Winner: SOLE FELSEN WELT GMÜND

SILVER Award Winners: ROGNER BAD BLUMAU

BRONZE Award Winner: H2O-THERME

Rising Star of the Year: BAD GLEICHENBERG, THERME DER RUHE

Managing Director Bernhard Strohmeier traveled with a delegation of four employees to the award ceremony on Mount Petzen in Carinthia to celebrate the company’s tremendous success with his team and bring first place to the Waldviertel region for the first time.

“We are absolutely thrilled to have been named ‘Austria’s Most Popular Spa’ and can hardly believe it! A huge thank you to our guests, who voted for us so enthusiastically, and a heartfelt thank you to all our employees—without both of you, this success would not have been possible,” said Managing Director Bernhard Strohmeier.

A sensational result for Sole Felsen Welt!

Having held the lead for several weeks last year, Sole Felsen Welt Gmünd was ultimately defeated by the serial winner, the Rogner Bad Blumau, just before the end of the voting period in 2022. This year, however, after a nail-biting finale that remained exciting until the very last moment, they pulled off a sensation! With an unprecedented turnout of 95,583 votes for a single thermal spa, Sole Felsen Welt Gmünd, located in Lower Austria—Austria’s northernmost state—managed to claim the top spot on the podium and will thus hold the title of Austria’s most popular thermal spa for an entire year with the GOLD Award.

With a wide variety of pools and 1,000 m² of water, wellness enthusiasts of all ages can immerse themselves in the Bad Ischl healing brine water or relax in the many different relaxation areas, including a spacious sauna area with guided steam sessions every half hour.

Having held the lead for several weeks, it already looked like a victory for Sole Felsen Welt! But in the final stretch of the voting period, serial winner Rogner Bad Blumau picked up the pace once again and ultimately overtook Sole Felsen Welt Gmünd.