Editing Spa, Belgium (section)

===20th century===
[[File:Spa Neubois 1918 occupation Allemande.jpg|thumb|[[Kaiser]] [[Wilhelm II]] and his staff at Villa du Neubois in Spa in 1918]]

During [[World War I]], Spa operated as an important German convalescent hospital town between 1914 and 1917. In 1918, the [[German Army (German Empire)|German Army]] established its [[Oberste Heeresleitung|principal headquarters]] in Spa,{{sfn|Laparra|Hesse|2011|p=69}} and from there the delegates set out for the French lines to meet [[Ferdinand Foch|Marshal Foch]] and to sue for peace in the consultations leading up to the [[Armistice with Germany (Compiègne)|Armistice]] that ended the First World War.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Foster |first1=Paul |title=Spa and Kaiser Wilhelm |url=https://www.remembering1418.com/spa-and-kaiser-wilhelm |website=Remembering 14-18 |access-date=20 December 2021}}</ref> The general headquarters of [[Kaiser]] [[Wilhelm II]] were, in 1918, the last place where he resided before his [[Abdication of Wilhelm II|abdication]] due to the German surrender. In July 1920, the town hosted the [[Spa Conference of 1920|Spa Conference]], a meeting of the [[Supreme War Council|Supreme Council]], which dealt with the [[war reparations]] owed by the defeated [[German Reich|Reich]] to the [[Allies of World War I|Allies]].{{citation needed|date=December 2023}}

The [[Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps]] was established in 1921, in the vicinity of Spa. Despite its name, the racetrack has never been located within Spa: it is instead in the nearby town of [[Stavelot]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Circuit History |url=https://www.spa-francorchamps.be/en/circuit-history |access-date=3 December 2023 |website=Circuit de Spa Francorchamps}}</ref>

[[World War II]] saw Spa reoccupied by the Germans, but the town escaped the [[Battle of the Bulge]] in 1945 that stopped, luckily for Spa, right at its gates. The [[Marshall Plan]] helped Belgium to recover quickly. In the 1950s and 1960s, mass tourism gradually developed, diminishing Spa's reliance on the elite as customers. These were decades of social tourism as well, with an increasingly large number of [[Flemish people|Flemish]] and Dutch customers, while the [[Walloons]] went ''en masse'' to the Belgian coast in Flanders. Relaxation tourism replaced the thermal aspect of Spa.{{citation needed|date=December 2023}}

The 1980s and 1990s heralded the start of a renewal of the infrastructure and influence of Spa. On 17 May 1983, to mark the 400th anniversary of the export of Spa waters, HM King [[Baudouin of Belgium|Baudouin]] visited the new facilities of the Spa Monopole SA, the Henrijean Hydrology Institute and the Thermal Establishment.<ref>Extract from the article in the newspaper ''La Vie spadoise''</ref> In 1994, a new French song festival started: ''[[Les Francofolies de Spa]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Spa |first=Francofolies de |date=2023-08-08 |title=Bienvenue sur le site officiel des Francofolies de Spa |url=https://francofolies.be/ |access-date=2023-12-03 |website=Les Francofolies de Spa - Du 18 au 21 juillet 2024 |language=fr-FR}}</ref> In 1997, the area of Spa-Bérinzenne opened the Regional Center for Initiation to the Environment, one of whose specialties is water.<ref>{{Cite web |title=CRIE de Spa-Berinzenne {{!}} Réseau IDée |url=https://www.reseau-idee.be/fr/crie-de-spa-berinzenne |access-date=2023-12-03 |website=www.reseau-idee.be}}</ref>