Fläscher bath
The Fläscher Bad is a former therapeutic bath in today's municipality of Fläsch , Canton of Graubünden , Switzerland .
location
Bad Fläsch is located in the Rhine Valley , two kilometers west of Fläsch. The terrain to the Regitzer Spitz ( 1140 m above sea level ) rises steeply to the south .
history
The history goes back to the 15th century. In the feudal contract with the then Badwirt Goryius Wydenmann from 1541, the rights and obligations of the Badwirt were precisely regulated. The Fläsch community members were allowed to use the bathroom for half the price. At certain times they could prepare their own meals in the bathroom. Further regulations concerned the serving of wine: the Badwirt had to buy local wine if it was not overpriced. In addition, he was not allowed to sell it more expensive than the Maienfeld landlords. The use of wood from the surrounding forests was also precisely regulated, because the Badwirt needed plenty of wood to heat the cold spring water for the baths. These regulations are similar to those of the surrounding swimming pools such as Pfäfers or Fideris . Its baths were already larger and more important than the Fläscher Bad in the 16th century and accommodated guests from a wider area.
Sometime before 1675, Bad Fläsch came into the possession of the von Salis family from Maienfeld. As an advertising measure for their company, the new owners had bad scripts printed in Zurich and Bregenz, in which the advantages of the rebuilt spa were described. The description of the origin and composition of the healing water was just as important as the list of ailments that could be cured with Fläscher Wasser. The strongest argument for the effectiveness of the source, however, was the success reports from people of different ages and origins who had regained their health after visiting the Fläscher Bad. Kidney stones, gout, limb paralysis and hernia are mentioned, but also infertility , missing menstrual flowers and open wounds were healed.
The bathroom owners had good relations with Johann Jacob Scheuchzer , who had completed a medical degree in Altdorf near Nuremberg . He visited the Fläscher Bad and included it in his famous description of the rivers, lakes and hot and cold baths in Graubünden. Hortensia von Salis, sister-in-law of the bathroom owner Karl Gubert von Salis, also reported in her autobiographical novel from 1696 how one could meet noble relatives and friends in the Fläscher Bad for uplifting discussions. While her sister-in-law and her children were bathing in a skin disease, the aristocratic entourage passed the time reading, hunting or having social picnics outdoors.
After the death of the bath owner Karl Gubert von Salis, his heirs sold the bath to the jury Jacob Marugg from Fläsch. The municipality of Fläsch was behind the purchase. The next sales contract in 1749 contained the condition that the house should be torn down so that it could no longer be used and that the spring water should be led to the public road. Fritz Lendi painted in his story "Der Jauchzer der Ursula", which was published in the Graubünden calendar in 1936, a gloomy picture of the conditions in the Fläscher Bad: an evil, greedy bath landlord ruled, dishonorable guests drank large quantities of wine. Gypsy music and wild dances threatened the moral integrity of the daughters of the village who were employed in the baths. The hustle and bustle culminated in a murder on Badstrasse. After a huge incendiary speech by the priest of the Fläsch, the parishioners decided to close the bath and restore order and quiet. Historical sources do not mention these conditions. For almost 200 years the Fläscher bath remained empty and unused and gradually fell into disrepair.
The more recent history of the Fläscher Bad begins shortly before the Second World War . The vineyards of the former Fläscher Bad winery were farmed in small plots by various parties. Two parcels are still called the "rear" and the "front bathroom". In the winter of 1937, the owners of the parcels discovered the vaulted cellar of the former bathroom at the back. With the help of the whole family, the basement rooms were cleared. These served as an arsenal for the Swiss army during the Second World War . When Hanspeter Hermann terraced the vineyard in 1974 during the amelioration of the municipality of Fläsch, he began excavating the old walls at the same time. The excavations and the reconstruction of the former Fläscher Bad brought the owner twice into trouble. After the improvement, the buildings were in the agricultural zone. At the same time, the owner set up a grotto in the vaulted cellar . The construction work was carried out without a building permit, which led to disputes with the municipality of Fläsch and the canton of Graubünden. Even the small, irregular, but illegal Grottobetrieb had to be discontinued in 1983 because the operator next to the building permit, the hosts Pat was missing and the operation was not approved for water protection reasons.
The Fläscher Bad cooperative was founded in 1985. Its primary purpose was to support the maintenance and operation of the Torkels Fläscher Bad. The first goal was the subsequent approval of the formerly illegally constructed buildings. The application, which was supported by the municipality, was initially rejected in 1988 by the Graubünden administrative court . After further legal disputes, the Maienfeld district council approved in 1990 that wine tastings could take place again in the Torkel Fläscher Bad. In 1996 the sewage problem was solved with the installation of a biological plant treatment system and a kitchen and sanitary facilities were installed in accordance with the hygienic regulations. The liberalized catering law has been in force in the canton of Graubünden since 1999. Since then, socializing in the Fläscher Bad can now be fully legally maintained. The Fläscher Bad Grotto is now owned by a winery based in Fläsch. The grotto is open to groups by prior arrangement. It is also open to passers-by on beautiful, sunny weekends.
Individual evidence
- ↑ historical records from 1720
- ↑ historical mention by Scheuchzer , Helvetiae historia naturalis 1717
Coordinates: 47 ° 2 ′ 10.4 " N , 9 ° 29 ′ 41" E ; CH1903: 756,256 / 211512