Herschelbad
The Herschelbad is a public bath in the Mannheimer squares , for the construction of which the Jewish Mannheim merchant and city councilor Bernhard Herschel (1837–1905) donated part of his fortune in a will in 1905.
history
Bernhard Herschel bequeathed half a million gold marks to the city for the construction of a "bathing and swimming facility" in the old town. This legacy was tied to three conditions: the bath should be built in the squares, the city had to leave the site free for construction, and it should be run by the city itself. The building department of the city of Mannheim then checked 13 possible locations before square U 3 became vacant in 1911 when the main fire station moved to the Alte Meßplatz . The architect was Richard Perrey , the head of the municipal building department . However , construction was interrupted by the First World War, so that the pool could only be opened in November 1920.
During the National Socialist era , the Jewish founder's bathroom was declared “ free of Jews ”. Use was reserved exclusively for " Aryans " and the Herschelbad was renamed the municipal indoor pool . The original name has been used again since 1950.
architecture
The Herschelbad was 4,530 sqm of covered space one of the largest indoor pools in Germany. In addition to the three indoor swimming pools (women's, men's and public baths), the bathtubs, the sauna and the sun terrace, it also had a laundry and a “dog bath”. Apart from the latter two, all of these facilities are still in operation today. Curiously, the dog bath served as a shower for the district chimney sweeps for a while. From today's perspective it is astonishing that the Herschelbad already had a wave pool facility when it opened in 1920 , but this was not restored after the war damage.
The three indoor swimming pools are used today in such a way that public bathing takes place in the former men's pool (Hall I), while the women's pool (Hall II), which is particularly impressive with its keyhole-shaped pool and arcades, is now used for swimming courses and sauna guests. The relatively small former public bath (Hall III), located in the south-east wing and with its own entrance at the time, is now used primarily for club and school swimming. In the men's and women's baths, the spirit of a bygone era is also evident in the special feature that every bather is not provided with a closet to store their clothes, as is common today, but with a lockable individual cabin.
The indoor pool, originally set up as a public pool, is or was one of the main works of Art Nouveau in Mannheim. However, due to the destruction in the Second World War and the lack of a faithful reconstruction, the current appearance is severely impaired. The two towering parts of the building - the boiler house and the tower - have also become inoperable due to technical progress and are now unused: the connection to the Mannheim district heating network made the boiler dispensable and the pool's own water reservoir located in the tower is no longer needed because of the current strength Tap water pressure is no longer required. In the meantime, the association has become the “Friends and Patrons of the Herschelbad in Mannheim e. V. ”, whose goal is the fundamental renovation of the building. According to an estimate from 2006, around 30 million euros will be required for this. The City of Mannheim provided around 5.5 million euros for the renovation of the roof and facade by the end of 2009.
The main façade is designed with a mansard roof and a central projectile in view of the representative effect .
Location within the Mannheim squares
Side entrance to the Herschelbad, Hall 3, today the school swimming pool
Hall 1
Exterior view
Hall 1
Hall 2
Web links
Coordinates: 49 ° 29 ′ 26.3 " N , 8 ° 28 ′ 18.7" E