Augustus bath

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
View over the Augustusbad towards Radeberg, postcard around 1910

Augustusbad is the name of a former therapeutic bath opened in 1719 and the eponymous part of the Liegau-Augustusbad district of Radeberg in Saxony . The remaining buildings and the former park-like area of ​​the former spa are under monument protection. Germany's first children's recreation home was opened on the site of the Augustusbad in 1875. During the GDR era , a police school and an old people's home were housed on the site. New usage plans after German reunification failed for various reasons.

prehistory

Mining near Radeberg

In the middle of the 16th century, various raw material deposits , including silver , were discovered between Wachau and Radeberg . In the elevation between the towns, named after the discovery of Silberberg and belonging to the Radeberg district, in the Tannengrund , a right side valley of the Große Röder on the northern slope of the Silberberg, tunnels were then driven to mine the precious metal . However, the mining proved to be unprofitable after a short time, the mining operations were stopped at the end of the 16th century, the buildings and tunnels fell into disrepair. The surviving records of the Glashütte mining authority responsible for the areas east of the Elbe from around 1550 list three mines for the area: God's grace , Auf dem Sonnenglanz and The 3 holy kings . These documents describe the extraction of vitriol in Radeberg. The extraction of ferrous ores is not mentioned. The German scientist Georgius Agricola also described the Radeberg vitriol production in his work De natura fossilium in 1546 .

City fire in 1714

On July 13, 1714, a city fire devastated most of the city of Radeberg. Large amounts of building materials were required for the reconstruction, which were mainly sought in the vicinity. The then Mayor of Radeberg, Christoph Seydel (1670–1747), who was an experienced mineralogist, acquired the rights in 1716 to resume mining in the historic tunnels. He suspected limestone in the Tannengrund and came across the former tunnels and mining facilities. When the old tunnels were opened, he found iron spar instead of the limestone he had hoped for, and came up with the plan to mine and use it commercially. However, this did not happen because of the non-extractable quantities.

Discovery of the healing spring

The discovery of the source in the former mine tunnel

Seydel and his two helpers, Steiger Klemm and Seidel's brother-in-law, the locksmith Stelzner, examined the dilapidated tunnel Auf dem Sonnenglanz in 1717 . They did not find the desired mineral resources in the former mining facilities, but found larger amounts of water and a spring and found that the water had a soothing effect on various symptoms. Seydel began using and marketing the medicinal water. Subsequent investigations, including by the medical and physics professor Johann Christian Lehmann at the University of Leipzig, confirmed that the spring had a slight carbonic acid content - as well as a high mineral content .

The contemporary doctor Gottlieb Budaeus described the effect of water as follows:

"In sum, the mineral waters cleanse the whole body, strengthen and refresh the blood, and the juices of life in such a way / that the forces spread into all parts of the body, and this opens up the smallest arteries and the most delicate corridors for cleansing Juice the sacred vessels and free them from their uncleanness. "

- Gottlieb Budaeus

Budaeus recommended the healing water found near Radeberg for both internal and external use, pure as a drinking and bathing cure, and for preparing food, tea and coffee.

Spa

In 1719 Seydel opened the first health bath , the bath in Tannengrunde , at the first discovered spring, which he called the Stollenquelle . A special feature of his bath was that the water was heated underground by a device he had built in the tunnel and thus came to the surface as warm water. The first bathhouse was built in 1720, residential and other functional buildings were built in 1721. These first facilities at that time were located in the area of ​​the Radeberg Office, which is why the bath was named Radeberger Bad by Mayor Seydel . The quality and effect of the healing water became known in the surrounding area, and the Saxon Elector August the Strong had water regularly delivered to his residential and government offices. In his honor, the spa was named Augustusbrunnen in 1724 and, a little later, Augustusbad . All 3 names were in use in parallel until the 19th century and were used in literature until the sole name Augustusbad emerged in the 2nd half of the 19th century. The quiet location of the bath in the surrounding forest and the quick accessibility of Dresden made the Augustusbad a well-known and popular facility in a short time. The number of spa guests quickly exceeded the facility's accommodation capacity, so that the neighboring villages of Liegau and Lotzdorf became popular places to stay for guests. Many wealthy spa guests spent the whole summer often and repeatedly, e.g. T. with their families, in the bathroom, z. B. At the beginning of the 19th century Gerhard von Kügelgen , Carl Gustav Carus , Caspar David Friedrich , Carl August Richter , Adrian Ludwig Richter , Theodor Körner and others. v. a.

By an electoral decree, Seydel was declared the owner of the baths and the buildings and spa facilities he had built. In return, he granted all citizens of Radeberg and their relatives free use of the medicinal water. Seydel died in 1747, and the Augustusbad became the property of his son Johann Christoph. He died in 1759, and from then on the institution was run by his widow. However, this showed no great interest in the facility, so that the bath had to be foreclosed in 1765 . The spa became more and more commercial, and the privileges for the citizens of Radeberg disappeared.

The Palais Hotel

The Radeberger bath doctor Dr. med. Who for the management of the Lie Auer landowner Johann Georg Herrmann belonging Böhme from 1857 Herrmann bath or the spa was responsible, initiated in 1851 the creation of a fund to indigent patients to facilitate the admission and residence in Augustusbad. Shortly afterwards, this fund was converted into an official foundation for the poor in order to be able to provide permanent support to those in need. In 1864 the poor foundation was named Seydelstiftung . In the same year Benjamin Siegel became the owner of the bath. He had the entire spa facility renewed and expanded; Buildings, outdoor facilities and water pipes were renovated and improved. By the end of the 19th century, several Swiss-style houses , administration, accommodation and bathing buildings, restoration buildings and the Palais-Hotel were built . The buildings were given names such as Radeberger Haus , Dresdner Haus , Berghaus , Schweizerhaus and Hermitage . The swan pond was created in the park . The Luisenhof estate was originally built next to the Augustusbad area in the 1870s .

Until the 19th century, other springs were discovered in the Tannengrund, whose water was also certified to have healing properties and which were integrated into the Augustusbad. The number of bathers and spa guests rose steadily. The large conversation lexicon for the educated stands by Julius Meyer describes five strong vitriolic iron springs in the Augustusbad in 1844 and also gave it the predicate quite visited . The chronicle of the local researcher Praßer from 1869 even lists six healing springs in the Augustusbad. In the handbook of balneotherapy ... from 1892 Flechsig describes "... six fairly pure iron sources with approx. 0.026 to 0.031 g bicarbonate per liter of water ... and a temperature of 8 to 8.5 ° C ..." and names "... as further curatives: electric baths , Hydropathic institute, mud baths, milk and whey. ”Four bath houses with 40 bathing rooms, including a mud bath house, a spa house and a hotel, are named as apartments for spa guests, 13 large lodgings are listed.

Ernst-Thälmann-Strasse in Radeberg was to be renamed Christoph-Seydel-Strasse by resolution of the city council of November 1, 1990 in honor of the former mayor and founder of the Augustusbad. This decision was not implemented in this form, the Ernst-Thälmann-Straße leading in the direction of Augustusbad was given its name "Badstraße", which was valid until 1933. Instead, the north-eastern bypass road Radebergs built in 1992/1993 was given the honorary name “Christoph-Seydel-Straße”, which is now part of the state road 177 .

Dr. Willmar Schwabesche Heimstätten Foundation

Willmar Schwabe

The pharmacist and co-founder of the General Local Health Insurance Fund (AOK) Leipzig , Willmar Schwabe , acquired the Augustusbad in 1896. The facility was now primarily made available to members of the AOK Leipzig. In 1904 he founded the Dr. Willmar Schwabesche Heimstätten Foundation , under whose administration he transferred the Augustusbad to the local health insurance fund. Schwabe formulated the purpose of the foundation as follows:

"The purpose of the foundation is to restore complete health to the less well-off after severe illness, to make them resistant to infectious diseases, thereby to extend their ability to work and to maintain those who are breadwinners of their families."

- Statutes of the foundation, § 2

The cooperation with the AOK caused a significant increase in the number of patients and spa guests in the Augustusbad. Over 9500 recordings are recorded for the years 1898 to 1903. The facility's capacity and medical staff were again significantly expanded under the direction of the Foundation.

Children's recreation home Bethlehemstift

The children's recreation home on a postcard from 1910

The pastor and doctor's son Hugo Woldemar Hickmann stayed in the Augustusbad in 1872 during a recreational stay. It was there that he came up with the idea of ​​setting up a recreation center for children. Together with the Inner Mission , a predecessor organization of the Diakonie , and Dresden doctors, he realized this plan and restructured the Berghaus to accommodate children. On July 1, 1875, the first children's recreation home in Germany was opened under the name Bethlehemstift in the Berghaus of the Augustusbad and it took in the first children with free accommodation and treatment. After Willmar Schwabe bought the bathroom, the Inner Mission rented the neighboring Luisenhof because there was no longer enough capacity in the Berghaus. The Bethlehem Foundation could now accept 350 children per year. In the years that followed, the Inner Mission set up other Bethlehem monasteries, including in Hohenstein-Ernstthal , Berggießhübel and Zwönitz .

Hickmann headed the facility for four years, after which there were several staff changes. In 1887 Karl Graf von Brühl-Renard became head of the house on Seifersdorf. When space became too scarce again, Graf von Brühl-Renard expanded the monastery again in 1900 by buying a country house and also having a new children's house built, which later became the Graf-Brühl-Haus . In 1926 the facility was redesigned as a spa center for children with heart disease and their medical supervisors. From now on, around 40 children and 25 adults were regularly cared for in the heart sanatorium . The Bethlehemstift in Augustusbad was closed in 1945.

GDR times: Police school and home after work

Vehicle hangars of the People's Police Training Center, as of 2013

After the end of the Second World War , soldiers of the Red Army occupied the Augustusbad. The German People's Police took it over in 1952 to set up an internal training facility. From December 1952 officers were trained in the telecommunications service in the newly established news school. In 1953, the Augustusbad location was subordinated to the rear services department (supply troops) of the Barracked People's Police (KVP) . In contemporary listings of the units and locations of the KVP, Augustusbad ranks as a unit of the VP Luft / VdAK . A KVP school was housed there until 1956. In 1956 the KVP was converted into the National People's Army , the Augustusbad location remained in the possession of the People's Police. The buildings were expanded with vehicle hangars and bunkers, and from then on, subordinate officers and NCOs were trained. This facility lasted until 1989.

In Luisenhof and some neighboring buildings, the city Radeberg maintained a post-war Feierabendheim . Up to 70 elderly people were accommodated in this home complex. The surrounding parts of the Tannengrund were designed like a park for the residents. A prominent resident of the retirement home was the German music critic and writer Karl Söhle , who died in the Luisenhof in 1947. Some scenes from the 2007 film about the life of Söhle were shot in Augustusbad.

Augustus bath after 1989

New home foundation

After the fall of the Wall in 1989 , the police school and the after-work home were closed. The Dr. Willmar Schwabesche Heimstätten Foundation was re-established in 1992 and the Augustusbad was transferred back. Plans for the renovation of the facility, especially the Kurhaus and the Schweizerhaus, were drawn up. In 1995/96, the city of Radeberg, together with the Schwabeschen Foundation and the AOK health insurance company, designed a project for a completely new construction of a health clinic in the Augustusbad. Investment costs of 56 million DM were estimated, construction plans and permits were already in place. After the health reform in 1996 , which included reductions in benefits and increases in additional payments for spa stays, planning was stopped and the implementation of the ideas was suspended for an indefinite period, as no investor was found under these conditions. The buildings were left to decay.

The area and the buildings of the Luisenhof were sold in 2005 and have been used as a riding and horse farm since then. The Association Bioland certified the Luisenhof as an organic farm in 2011 .

Plans and visions

Bathhouse, built in 1851 by Dr. med. Klose built in 2013

After the failed new construction of the clinic, the Liegau-Augustusbad home association and the local council came up with various suggestions for the further use of the area. The Heimstättenstiftung, as the owner of the Augustusbad, stipulates that the site may only be used for purposes that serve medical science.

In 2006 the Heimatverein presented plans for the establishment of a prevention clinic for diabetes patients in cooperation with the research facilities at the University Clinic of the TU Dresden . Another vision envisaged the opening of an elite primary school as a facility for the promotion of talented students , also in cooperation with the Technical University of Dresden . In 2010, the Heimatverein published a proposal to use the Augustusbad as a botanical garden . The main focus should be on medicinal plants . Gradually, the buildings in the area were then to be renovated and incorporated into use, for example for research purposes, as museum houses or for homeopathic treatments. In 2011, the Liegauer mayor presented a draft that provided for the establishment of a nature trail to remind those interested of the former spa on guided hikes. Due to a lack of investors, none of these ideas were implemented.

In August 2013 the idea was published to propose Radeberg and the district Liegau-Augustusbad as the venue for the State Horticultural Show Saxony 2019. Together with the nearby Hüttertal nature reserve and the neighboring Seifersdorfer Tal landscape garden , the Augustusbad in Tannengrund could be imagined as an exhibition area. With the funding associated with organizing the garden show, the renovation of the site and the buildings of the former spa could be financed.

Remarks

  1. In some sources the name has been handed down in the spelling Seidel .
  2. Another source, the Kirchliche Nachrichten der Parochie Radeberg , cites June 1, 1875 as the opening date of the children's recreation home.
  3. VP Luft / VdAK = People's Police Air / Administration of the Aero Club; Forerunner of the Air Force of the National People's Army .
  4. The facilities called after -work homes during the GDR era corresponded in their function to western old people's homes.

literature

  • Gottlieb Budaeus: Medicinal report of the mineral mine wells, or health water, without the Königl. and Churfürstl. Saxon town of Radeberg. Richter, Bautzen 1722 ( digitized version ).
  • Christian Gotthold Schwenke: Lessons from the Augustus Fountain near Radeberg . Dresden 1766 ( digitized version ).

Web links

Commons : Augustusbad  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. a b List of cultural monuments of the city of Radeberg, section Liegau-Augustusbad - Schwabestiftung. (PDF; 113 kB) Accessed August 5, 2014 .
  2. a b Budaeus: Medicinischer report by The Mineral Bergwercks Fountain. 1722, p. 5 ff.
  3. ^ Lothar Simon: About mining and mining experiments in Radeberg. In: Large district town of Radeberg in cooperation with the urban history working group (ed.): Radeberger Blätter zur Stadtgeschichte. Volume 10, Radeberg 2012.
  4. a b c d Friedrich Bernhard Störzner: What the home tells . Legends, historical images and memorable events from Saxony. Contributions to Saxon folklore and local history. Verlag Arwed Strauch, Leipzig 1904, p. 39–41 ( What the Heimat tells on Wikisource ).
  5. ^ Karl Gautsch: The Augustusbad near Radeberg. A brief description . Publishing house by Conrad Weiske. Dresden 1873
  6. Budaeus: Medicinischer report by The Mineral Bergwercks Fountain. 1722, p. 13.
  7. Budaeus: Medicinischer report by The Mineral Bergwercks Fountain. 1722, p. 14 ff.
  8. Christoph PJ Ohlig: Water historical research: focus on the mining sector . In memoriam Dr.-Ing. Martin Schmidt, Volume 2. Books on Demand , Cologne 2003, ISBN 978-3-8330-0729-3 , pp. 135 f . ( Google Books ).
  9. Schwenke: Lessons from the Augustus fountain near Radeberg. 1766, p. 4 f.
  10. Renate Schönfuß-Krause: Lotzdorfer Impressions: Bathing scene in the Raederflus . In: die radeberger ( Memento of the original from August 21, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Issue 38, 23 September 2016, teamwork-schoenfuss.de (PDF; 1.0 MB). @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.die-radeberger.de
  11. ^ Karl Gautsch: The Augustusbad near Radeberg . Verlag von Conrad Weiske, Dresden 1873, p. 5 f . ( limited preview in Google Book search).
  12. ^ Friedrich Ehregott Praßer: Chronicle of Großröhrsdorf, town and village of Pulsnitz, Friedersdorf, Thiemendorf, Lichtenberg, Mittelbach, Kleindittmannsdorf, Leppersdorf, Augustusbad, Bad zu Liegau, Lotzdorf, Radeberg, Kleinröhrsdorf, Wallroda, Kleinwolmsdorf, Arnsdorf, Fischbach, Schmiedefeld, Seligstadt Harthau, Frankenthal, Rammenau, Hauswalde, Bretnig and Ohorn . mainly according to the documents of the KS Haupt-Staats-Archives, the cathedral monastery Meißen, as well as the Königl. Court offices in Pulsnitz, Radeberg, Stolpen and Bischofswerda. Praßer, Großröhrsdorf 1869, p. 679 ff ( digitized version ).
  13. ^ Hermann Julius Meyer (Ed.): The large conversation lexicon for the educated classes . In connection with statesmen, scholars, artists and technicians. tape 4 . Printed by and published by the Bibliographical Institute, 1844, p. 678 ( Google Books ).
  14. R. Flechsig (Ed.): Handbook of Balneotherapy for Practical Doctors . Second revised edition. Verlag von August Hirschwald, Berlin 1892, p. 359 ( Textarchiv - Internet Archive ).
  15. City Council Resolution 120/90 of November 1, 1990. Accessed September 3, 2013 .
  16. ^ Thomas Adam: Allgemeine Ortskrankenkasse Leipzig 1887 to 1997 . Verlag Pro Leipzig, Leipzig 1998, ISBN 978-3-9806474-0-3 , pp. 40 .
  17. a b Augustusbad - It used to be so beautiful. Heimatverein Liegau-Augustusbad, accessed on March 29, 2018 .
  18. ^ Klaus Menzel: Berghaus became Bethlehemstift. Germany's first children's recreation home is in Liegau-Augustusbad. In: Dresdner Latest News , November 12, 2007, heimatverein-liegau-augustusbad.de (PDF; 2.2 MB).
  19. Torsten Diedrich , Rüdiger Wenzke : The camouflaged army. History of the barracked people's police of the GDR 1952 to 1956 . Ch. Links Verlag, Berlin 2001, ISBN 978-3-86153-242-2 , p. 143, 147, 389 f., 831 f .
  20. Dresdner Heide, Pillnitz, Radeberger Land (= values ​​of our homeland . Volume 27). 1st edition. Akademie Verlag, Berlin 1976, p. 60 f.
  21. Klaus Menzel: Lie Auer home association wants memorial plaque for forgotten author. In: Sächsische Zeitung , January 3, 2008, heimatverein-liegau-augustusbad.de (PDF; 1.9 MB).
  22. ^ A b Jens Fritzsche: Vision: Diabetes Clinic in Liegau. In: Sächsische Zeitung , November 8, 2007, heimatverein-liegau-augustusbad.de (PDF; 1.8 MB).
  23. a b Jens Fritzsche: Mayor wants to talk about the Augustusbad. In: Sächsische Zeitung , May 31, 2011, heimatverein-liegau-augustusbad.de (PDF; 1.3 MB).
  24. ^ History of the Luisenhof. Luisenhof Liegau-Augustusbad, accessed on July 25, 2013 .
  25. ^ A b Klaus Menzel: Elite primary school in Augustusbad? In: Sächsische Zeitung , February 10, 2009, heimatverein-liegau-augustusbad.de (PDF; 2.6 MB).
  26. Jens Fritzsche: Will the forgotten Augustusbad in Liegau become a botanical garden? In: Sächsische Zeitung , April 24, 2010, heimatverein-liegau-augustusbad.de (PDF; 1.5 MB).
  27. Jens Fritzsche: Will the garden show save the Augustusbad? In: Sächsische Zeitung , August 15, 2013, heimatverein-liegau-augustusbad.de (PDF; 5.6 MB).

Coordinates: 51 ° 8 ′ 26.5 ″  N , 13 ° 54 ′ 38.2 ″  E