Malvern is a historic town and a former health resort using the local mineral waters, and is now the tourist center of the region. It sits at the foot of the picturesque Malvern Hills, which are great for hiking.
The city was founded in 1075 along with the local Benedictine abbey, but the surrounding hills contain traces of earth fortifications from the Bronze Age. The monastic center in Malvern developed rapidly throughout the Middle Ages. A gothic church was built here and it still serves the local parish. It can be proud of the largest group of original stained glass windows in the 15th century in England. Around the church there are areas where monastic buildings used to be. Many of them have been demolished and the empty spaces have been arranged into a park. The building of the Gothic monastery gate houses the Malvern Local History Museum with exhibitions on various periods in the city's history.
From the beginning of the 17th century, mineral water was drawn from Malvern. They began to be bottled in 1622 and they found their way to the tables of English monarchs. Queen Victoria and Elizabeth I liked the local waters very much. Although they are not bottled on a large scale now, you can still buy limited series of the local waters released by a local, family company that has the right to use the spring. A spa center was also built in Malvern on the basis of warm mineral waters. The city is not as famous a health resort today as it was in the 19th century, but it still attracts patients and people who want to combine relaxation by the water with learning about interesting history and active recreation. The Malvern Hills with numerous hiking trails provide excellent conditions for the latter.
