Nestled among the trees in the Konstancin-Jeziorna park, named after count Witold Skórzewski, is a tall, circular wooden structure known as a graduation tower. Earliest examples of similar structures hail from the 17th-century and are known for their health benefits, which make use of halotherapy – a form of alternative medicine that relies on the breathing in of mineral salts to improve lung functions. The structure itself works by removing water from a saline solution through evaporation, thereby increasing its concentration of mineral salts. Built upon a wooden wall-like frame stuffed with bundles of brushwood (typically blackthorn), it’s through this that the salt water runs, partly evaporating yet leaving behind a residue of salt water minerals on the brushwood twigs.
The benefits of salt graduation towers can be compared to the breathing in of sea air and are said to improve general wellbeing and immunity, in addition to lung functioning.
Deposits of healing brine were discovered in Konstancin-Jeziorna around the mid-1960s. The discovery led to the decision to build a graduation tower – the first pinewood phase was completed in 1977. Final developments were concluded in the following years thanks to the involvement of the surrounding neighborhood of Konstancin, which organized a collection of blackthorn wood. This year marks the structure’s 44th anniversary.
The site in Konstancin-Jeziorna is a 25-minute car ride from Warsaw’s city center. However, similar structures, albeit on a much smaller scale, can be found more centrally. An example is the graduation tower on Pl. Hallera – near Warsaw Zoo and just steps from the cool Trzy Kruki Café.
Konstancin site: http://teznia.com.pl/
