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History
The history of spring water in Europe starts with the Romans. The average Roman used some 700 litres of water a day! The Romans' contribution to the water culture we know today mainly lies in the fact that they started to exploit the often warm, carbon-rich springs in their camps across Europe. They discovered a host of springs and built their towns near such a source so that they would always have access to fresh drinking water.
In the 17th century the first attempts were made at "bottling" and transporting spring water. This grew into a lively trade. In 1778, for example, one million pitchers of Selters were sold. Spring water became even more important in the 18th century. Around this period it was discovered that the mineral contents of the water differed greatly from one source to the next. This was used to explain the special curative properties, although they had no idea at the time what the different minerals did exactly.
In the 19th and 20th century, people gradually started to isolate the precise effects of the different minerals. It became possible to treat ailments in a very specific manner and this led to the development of many health spas. This boosted the popularity of spring water.
The spring water market has gained momentum in recent decades. In the Netherlands, spring water consumption is also seeing rapid growth, despite the fact that the country has no real water culture.
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