Mont-Dore-les-Bains

Mont-Dore-les-Bains, a village of Auvergne, in the department of Puy de Dôme, 26 miles SSW. of Clermont-Ferrand. It lies 3412 feet above the sea-level, in a picturesque valley, through which the river Dordogne flows, and which is bordered on both sides by rugged volcanic hills, and closed towards the south by a semicircle of jagged mountains, the highest point of which, the Pic de Sancy (6188 feet), is the loftiest mountain in central France. The Mont Dore mineral springs, which were used by the Romans, are of great value in affections of the throat and most diseases of the respiratory organs, as also in the earlier stages of rheumatism. There are eight powerful springs in full operation, seven of these having a temperature which varies between 102° and 114°, while La Source Sainte Marguerite is comparatively cold. The water contains bicarbonates of soda, iron, and arsenic. The ordinary population of the village is about 1400, but the baths, which are every year becoming better known, are thronged during the short season (July to September) with visitors from all parts.