Staatsbad Brückenau
Staatsbad Bad Brückenau is a district of the Lower Franconian town of Bad Brückenau and is located in the valley of the Sinn , in the western foothills of the Kuppenrhön .
The state bath is owned by the Free State of Bavaria in accordance with Article 26 of the Bavarian Financial Regulation. As a service company, the state spa administration carries out the core tasks of spa activities, in particular the operation and maintenance of the spa facilities, mineral spring management and delivery to private companies, the offering of an event program in cooperation with private organizers, the collection of the tourist tax and the real estate management of the extensive, historic properties of the Free State of Bavaria . The spa director is Andrea Schallenkammer.
Geography and climate
By car on the A 7 (Kassel – Würzburg) you use the Bad Brückenau / Volkers junction from the north, the Bad Brückenau / Wildflecken junction from the south, and the Schlüchtern-Süd or -Nord junction from Frankfurt (A 66).
The Bavarian Rhön has a mild, bracing climate , with a high exchange of air, favored by the wooded nature park.
history
The reason for the emergence of the Bad Brückenau state bath is the multitude of healing springs that are located at the south-western foot of the Rhön . The oldest mention of a mineral spring in the area dates back to 1674. The "re" discovery and version fell during the reign of the Fulda abbot Amandus von Buseck (1737–1757), from 1752 Prince-Bishop . The prince abbot was staying in his summer residence Römershag in the summer of 1747 when his personal doctor Johann Burkard Schlereth was made aware of a spring by a shepherd while walking west of the town of Brückenau, the water of which had a wonderful taste. The personal physician reported the discovery to his master, who immediately opened up the source, today's King Ludwig I source, and had the place expanded as a bath. As early as 1749, personal physician Schlereth wrote a “Kurtze description of the newly invented health fountain in the Hochstifft Fulda”. The first spa buildings were erected: three pavilion-like, two-storey residential buildings with mansard roofs were built on either side of an avenue consisting of four rows of trees and running from north to south. At the northern end of this promenade there was a transverse structure on a hill. The buildings were named deer, ram, swan or lamb, beaver and lion, the transverse building and later the royal building was called Ross. A domed structure on eight columns on the southeast side of the avenue covers the source. This facility was completed in 1749. The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) initially prevented further expansion of the facility . The country suffered from raids, billeting, contributions and looting. The Bishopric of Fulda was hard on the edge of ruin. Nevertheless, the bath experienced significant impulses from 1764 during the reign of Prince-Bishop Heinrich von Bibra (1759–1788). The first bath house was built in 1779 - until then, all baths were given in wooden bathtubs in the guest rooms. At the end of the reign of Heinrich von Bibra, the structural and horticultural design of the complex was initially completed.
The French Revolutionary Wars brought about a real crash for the development of the bathroom. It had to be leased, suffered from raids and looting - the number of visitors fell. In 1796 just 127 guests came for the cure . In 1810 Fulda was added to the Grand Duchy of Frankfurt , in 1816 Brückenau fell to Bavaria, which marked the beginning of the real heyday. King Ludwig I (1786–1868) discovered a love for the bathroom and between 1818 and 1862 stayed a total of 26 times. The son of King Maximilian I became a Bavarian monarch in 1825 at the age of 39. In many summers Bavaria was ruled from the Fürstenhof in Brückenau. The king made Brückenau a gem among Bavarian health resorts .
It was here that Ludwig I and the Irishwoman Eliza Gilbert alias Lola Montez met in 1847 . The dancer and impostor Lola lived in a villa below the royal court, in the lion . The 62-year-old Ludwig lost the crown in 1848 , not least because of Lola Montez (1820–1861). The affair shook the Bavarian monarchy to its foundations and almost took the Wittelsbach family out of the throne.
The traces of the most famous guest, King Ludwig I of Bavaria, are omnipresent to this day. Its imposing, historical buildings are lined up in the elegant, baroque park and are both a lively backdrop and stage for action.
Spa doctors
Melchior Adam Weikard, 1742–1803
Melchior Adam Weikard was appointed physicist at the office of Brückenau in 1764 and was thus a spa doctor for the state pool. Born in Römershag, a district of Bad Brückenau, the son of a local innkeeper, the house where he was born is still used today as an inn. Weikard wrote several fonts and invitations "to the cure in Bad Brückenau". In 1784 he was appointed court physician to the Russian Tsarina Catherine II at the Tsar's court in St. Petersburg. Weikard returned to Bad Brückenau and died there in July 1803.
Dr. Felix Schlagintweit, 1868–1950
Felix Schlagintweit was an internationally recognized capacity in the field of urology. His appointment as a spa doctor was a stroke of luck for the health resort. Its specialist books and journals, which were read and noticed all over the world, made Bad Brückenau world famous as a spa for diseases of the kidneys and the bladder. While Schlagintweit practiced in Bad Brückenau, kings and emperors visited the place. One of his most famous patients was Empress Elisabeth of Austria, who spent a 4-week cure in Bad Brückenau in 1898. Felix Schlagintweit died in 1950 and was buried in Frauenchiemsee. Before her death in 1959, his widow bequeathed part of her property to the Free State of Bavaria.
Konrad Anton Zwierlein, 1755–1825
Zwierlein had studied in Fulda and Heidelberg and with great commitment he succeeded his predecessor Melchior Adam Weikards as a spa doctor in Bad Brückenau. Zwierlein caused a sensation with his idea of introducing new women's fashion especially for the cure. As a spa doctor, he wanted simpler clothing than what was appropriate at the time - a bathroom uniform. For this purpose he convened a women's congress in Bad Brückenau in 1792. It has not yet been proven whether the bath uniform designed at the time was actually produced. Today a tailor-made model can be seen in the Museum of the City of Bad Brückenau.
Attractions
Schlosspark - The creation of the gardens
In 1747 the Ticino Andrea Gallasini , court architect of the prince abbots of Fulda , designed a strictly symmetrical garden, the main feature of which was the central axis, which extends right through the state spa to this day.
The ages supplements are on the building ensemble is done, especially King Ludwig I . This also involved enlargements of the gardens. The baroque gardens were partially converted into an English garden . Despite many changing garden trends, the structure has been preserved to this day and is decisive for the park. In contrast to the unspoilt nature of the surrounding meadows and forests, it gives the ensemble a special charm.
Today's plantings are based on the structure of the historical model in terms of new planting and maintenance. The chestnuts on the avenue are cut strictly box-shaped, and the linden arcade below the Fürstenhof also complies with the historical specifications. Old and rare trees can be admired in the park, including a "millennial oak" near the herb garden with a circumference of seven meters, as well as the ginkgo tree, the cucumber magnolia and the "oak- leaved hornbeam" (a mutation ). Around 60 tree species are listed in the tree register drawn up in 1992 .
buildings
Kursaal building The classicist hall building with arcade was built on behalf of King Ludwig I according to plans by Johann Gottfried Gutensohn (1792-1851). The foundation stone was laid on the king's birthday on August 25, 1827 as part of a glamorous celebration with a torchlight procession and 700 invited guests. In July 1833 the building was inaugurated in the presence of the court. Both the King Ludwig I Hall, the Lola Montez Hall and the royal box have ceiling paintings in the Italian Renaissance style , executed by the Munich painters Ludwig Höger and Jakob Hochbrand. Today dance events and galas, balls, concerts, theater performances and lectures take place here.
Elisabethenhof
The building, erected in 1894 in the classical style, is named after the Empress Elisabeth of Austria (Sissi) , who lived here for four weeks in 1898. The building was built as a counterpart to today's Badhotel in the same style and originally served as a lodging house with 48 rooms. The bath doctor Dr. Felix Schlagintweit had set up his urological practice here and was already successfully performing kidney and bladder operations around the turn of the century, assisted by Dr. Pettenkofer from Munich. The building now houses the offices of the state spa administration with guest information, a guest lounge, as well as spa medical practices and occupational and physiotherapy.
Schlosshotel Fürstenhof
The Fürstenhof was built in 1775 on behalf of Prince-Bishop Heinrich von Bibra . King Ludwig I of Bavaria stayed at the Fürstenhof 26 times. He conducted his government business from Bad Brückenau. In 1823 Ludwig I , at that time still Crown Prince , had the left wing added according to plans by Johann Gottfried Gutensohn (1792-1851). This was demolished in 1979 and rebuilt true to the original and the Fürstenhof was completely renovated. Today the Schlosshotel Fürstenhof belongs to the Dorint Resort & Spa as a branch . It offers a wonderful panoramic view of the castle park.
Parkhotel
The building was erected in Art Nouveau style from 1899–1901 according to plans by the Munich architect Max Littmann (1862–1931) . In the last few years the hotel has been renovated several times and converted into a hotel. In 2002 the Vital Spa was added as an exclusive wellness area with physiotherapy and numerous other offers.
Bellevue
The Bellevue was built in 1819 as the first building in the Ludwig era. On the southern rise of the valley opposite today's Fürstenhof, it was built at the same height as the end of the entire complex. It is a classicist building in the Tuscan style based on plans by architect Bernhard Morelli. The Bellevue was set up as a guest house by Ludwig I , who was still crown prince at the time . The cellar was used to store food for the bathers.
Badhotel
The Badhotel was built by order of King Ludwig I in 1823 according to the plans of the architect Leo von Klenze (1784–1864) as a bathroom. The so-called “Old Bath House” attached to the Badhotel was built in 1901 according to the plans of the Munich court building councilor Eugen Drollinger .
Remise
The long building was in 1827 as coach houses - built and stables. King Ludwig I got involved in the planning of the building, rejected plans of the state administration of the royal palaces and gardens and commissioned the chief building officer Johann Nepomuk Pertsch (1780–1835) with the planning. The scheme of the listed complex goes back to closed baroque conceptions of four-wing courtyards and shows echoes of revolutionary architecture. In 2008 the coach house was completely renovated. Today it houses the state nursery with a depot.
Wernarzer Quellentempel
The Wernarzer Quelle was founded in 1749 by Dr. Austrian, the city physician of Hammelburg, drilled out of a rock and appropriately captured in 1767 at the cost of 476 guilders. Today's source temple was built in 1911 as part of the expansion of the former foyer by court building officer Eugen Drollinger , as the old building from 1828 was dilapidated. The well construction is octagonal, eight pairs of columns support the dome with a bell roof . Paintings in the dome, window glazing and the decoration on the outer facade show Art Nouveau elements . Today the source temple is integrated into the foyer.
Haus Hirsch
The baroque pavilion building with a mansard roof was built in 1747. It is the only building in the Staatsbad that has been preserved in its original location from the time the spa was founded. The building inspector Andreas Gallasini from Fulda, a leading architect of the Baroque period , was the creator of the building complex from the Fulda period, the six pavilions with the animal names deer, ram, swan, beaver, lion and lamb .
Villa Schwan
The house was built in 1906 as a guest house according to plans by the Munich court building councilor Eugen Drollinger in an Art Nouveau villa . In 1989 the building was completely renovated, today the Villa Schwan houses apartments and the office of the course counseling.
Brunnengalerie
Three of the five springs in Bad Brückenau are bottled by the Staatliche Mineralbrunnen AG in an ecologically oriented well operation and are also available as "Wernarzer Heilwasser", "Staatliches Bad Brückenauer Heilwasser", "König Ludwig I. Mineralwasser" and "Staatliches Bad Brückenauer Mineralwasser" driven out of the region. In the glazed fountain gallery you get an immediate insight into the production processes of the bottling plant. Information on the development of the forms of advertising and bottling of that time is conveyed through original, historically preserved illustrative material.
German Bicycle Museum
In May 2004 the German Bicycle Museum was opened. In a representative Art Nouveau building , the "Villa Füglein", the most comprehensive German collection of historical bicycles with 230 vehicles is exhibited on two floors. In addition to the history of the development of the bicycle, the following topics are presented: racing, muscle-powered children's vehicles, bicycle motorization, military bicycles, advertising, bicycle accessories, clubs, company history and the subject of “art and bicycles”. Three dioramas , a bicycle shop, a workshop and a club room complete the museum.
Medicinal springs
King Ludwig I. Spring
This healing water is characterized by its mineral balance, by non-measurable amounts of nitrate and nitrite and by the higher potassium content compared to sodium . The steel source, recorded for the first time in 1747 and drilled to a depth of 300 meters in 1965, has a very large fill. The fine-pearled, carbonated water has a high and very easily absorbable content of iron , calcium and magnesium . In bathrooms it has a mechanical, thermal and chemical effect. Applications: anemia , heart and circulatory disorders, circulatory disorders , vegetative disorders
The Wernarzer spring
The extremely low content of table salt and sodium and the small amount of solid mineral components make the Wernarzer spring a special healing water for kidney and bladder diseases. The recognized healing spring, known since 1747, comes from a depth of 60 meters and has a temperature of 10 ° C. The most common salt and sodium-free Säuerling carbonated is very low in free mineral components. Applications: inflammation of the kidneys and urinary tract, kidney stones , bladder and urinary stones
The Sinnberger Quelle
The soft and tasty medicinal water has increased mineralization and a lot of natural carbon dioxide. The recognized healing spring has been known since 1749 and comes from a depth of 50 meters. It is a sourling very similar to the Wernarzer spring with plenty of carbonic acid, increased mineralization and low sodium content. Applications: Lower urinary tract, kidney dysfunction, positive effects on the oral and bronchial mucosa
The Lola Montez spring
The medicinal water from this spring contains many minerals and trace elements . It should support the complexion as well as positive tooth, hair and nail properties. Applications: disorders of uric acid metabolism (e.g. gout ), supportive treatment for diabetes , gastric, intestinal, liver and gallbladder diseases , preventive arterial occlusive diseases and restricted functionality, urinary tract and diseases of the kidneys and bladder .
The Bad Brückenauer Vitalquelle
The spring water has a high carbonic acid content and contains a variety of trace elements, the taste is sour and mineral. Applications: Increased uric acid level in the blood, supportive treatment for stomach, intestinal, liver and gallbladder diseases , diabetes , for circulatory disorders also preventive arterial occlusive diseases and impaired functionality, urinary tract and diseases of the kidneys and bladder .
literature
- Michael Mott : Fulda prince abbot as founder of the spa / 250 years of Heilbad Brückenau / "Liebeshof der Biedermeierzeit", in: Fuldaer Zeitung , July 3, 1997, p. 17.
Web links
- State spa administration Bad Brückenau
- The Staatsbad Brückenau moves ...
- Website of the city of Bad Brückenau
Individual evidence
Bad Brückenau with Staatsbad Brückenau , Sinnthalshof and Pilsterhof | Römershag with Röderhof , Stockhof and Stockpapiermühle | Volkers with Volkersberg | Wernarz