Werzers bathhouse
The historic Werzers bathhouse in Pörtschach dates from 1895 and was built according to plans by the architect Josef Victor Fuchs. The building arose from the beginning of the leisure and bathing culture of the 19th century. In the bathing establishment itself there were two swimming pools, which were separated into a men's and women's pool. The actual purpose of the bathhouse was the initial swimming school for adults. This historic building is the last of its kind on Lake Wörthersee and has been a listed building since 1987. At the same time, the Werzer's Badehaus, restored in 2013, is the last wooden bathhouse in the style of the Wörthersee architecture and one of the last two in Carinthia .
Historical relevance
In the course of the construction boom that began around 1870, the most distinguished families opened their vacation homes in Pörtschach . The most famous friends of Pörtschach were probably Johannes Brahms (he spent the summers 1877–1879 in the village), Johann Herbeck and Thomas Koschat . Emperor Franz Josef visited the place in 1856, 1882 and 1899. In 1871 a post office was opened, in 1877 the volunteer fire brigade, in 1883 the gendarmerie post and in 1887 (this year Pörtschach already had 2,000 guests) a beautification association was founded. The huge establishments "Wahliß" and "Werzer", which were equipped with the most modern facilities (bathing establishments, tennis courts, pharmacies, libraries, tailors, shoemakers etc.) formed the center of the Pörtschach gastronomy.
The history of Werzer's bath house provides insights into the development of bathing culture. A letter from the abbot of Viktring from the 17th century shows that the Jesuits already owned bathing huts in Pörtschach . The bathhouse was not accessible to local residents, only to the nobles and prelates . The people of the Victorian era were also reluctant to drop their robes. Most of the time was only spent on the banks of Lake Wörthersee. From the end of the 19th century, greater importance was attributed to bathing pleasure. At first, swimming was understood to mean “immersion”, whereby men and women were always separate. Bathing was more for personal hygiene and hygiene than for pleasure in the modern sense. In the turn of the 1920s, Pörtschach developed into a well-known tourist and leisure location.
The bathhouse today
Since the 1990s, Werzer's Badehaus has mainly been used to rent bathing cabins. The building began to deteriorate. In order to preserve the bathhouse, it was extensively renovated taking into account the monument protection guidelines and given a new use. The new Werzer's bathhouse is equipped with a wellness oasis with a heated pool in the lake, a Mediterranean à la carte restaurant and a suite.
Web links
- Official website of the municipality of Pörtschach am Wörthersee (The history of Pörtschach)
- Website of the current operation in the historic bathhouse (photos and history of the bathhouse)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Belle Epoque of summer vacation
- ^ Carinthia's bathing houses
- ↑ Old traditions behind new walls
- ^ Facilities in today's bathhouse
Coordinates: 46 ° 38 ′ 4.1 ″ N , 14 ° 8 ′ 16 ″ E