Selters Bottles

Selters water was a well-known naturally carbonated water from the Selters spring in Niderselters, Germany. The spring has been in use since the Bronze Age and is known as a source of natural soda water due to the high concentration of sodium bicarbonate. Mineral water in stoneware bottles, which were also produced in the vicinity of the spring, was distributed throughout the world during the 19th century.

The idea of many benefits related to spring mineral water resulted in intensive trade, so known examples of bottles in which water was once transported have been found from America to Russia, while the most numerous examples have been found, except in Germany, all over the Europe; in England, France, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, Poland (…) and in Zadar, Croatia.  The presence of these bottles on the seabed of the port and in the immediate vicinity of ancient port of Jazine suggests a well-established demand and supply for them in Zadar. It also suggests that trade routes included Zadar as a destination, highlighting the city’s role in commercial exchanges of the time. Today, original Selters bottles are rare collectibles, valued by historians and antique bottle enthusiasts.

The bottles are cylindrical in shape, with a well-proportioned height and diameter. They are brownish in color and have a flat bottom that bears traces of the wire used to separate them from the mold. A small handle is positioned on the shoulder of the bottle, added later during production and further secured with a downward finger stroke. The neck is short and intricately profiled, featuring a narrow opening. The bottles also bear stamped seals with the inscription “SELTERS NASSAU” in several variations.