In northern Switzerland, where the Aare River cuts across the Jura Mountains, people have known about the warm upwelling waters in the banks of the Aare River for ages. However natural changes of the braided river bed made locating the upwelling source of warm water difficult and the source was lost over various periods of time. Since the 17th century, the Schniznach spa has been used commercially and became a well known resort for health treatment, and a resort for social and political conventions