King Charles Bath

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King Charles Bath

The König-Karls-Bad ( Haus des Gastes since 1977 ) is a bath building in Bad Wildbad in the Black Forest . As the König-Karls-Bad Forum , the premises are now used for meetings and conferences.

history

In the second half of the 19th century, the increasing number of bathers brought the capacity of the existing baths - Graf-Eberhard-Bad , Kleines Bad and Katharinenstift - to their limits. These were located above the thermal springs to the right of the Enz . In 1863, drilling began on the left Enzufer in order to develop new thermal water resources. The water was stored in a reservoir together with the nightly surplus of the old springs and used during the day.

Ceiling painting over the drinking fountain in the Pompeian style with a leaf mask

On the initiative of the Wildbad spa doctor Wilhelm Theodor von Renz , Felix von Berner was commissioned in 1876 to build a new pool in the former parish garden to the left of the Enz. It was named after the ruling King Karl von Württemberg .

First construction phase 1881/1882

First a pumping station and collecting pipes were built between the underground reservoir, the baths and the drinking hall . During this time, the König-Karl-Straße along the Enz was also built. The new bath building was a one-story, simple functional building with single bathrooms, a waiting room and an open inner courtyard. On the slope side there was a water tower to supply the showers.

Second construction phase 1889-1892

The extension of the König-Karls-Bad was put in front of the existing building. On the ground floor of the building there were communal, warm air, hot air and steam baths as well as changing rooms. A central staircase leads to the upper floor with a domed hall and common rooms.

Berner designed the bathroom as a Renaissance building with baroque elements. The symmetrically structured main facade on König-Karl-Strasse was given a three-axis central projection . In the middle of the mighty dome is the Württemberg coat of arms . The base is veneered with reddish sandstone , the rest of the facade with yellowish-gray sandstone .

The interiors were representative. In the vestibule there are marble busts of the Württemberg royal couple Karl and Olga . Wall and ceiling paintings by Hans von Kolb dominate the stairwell and dome hall . The bathrooms were also decorated with paintings and colored glass windows.

Modifications and other plans

Great Hall

In 1905/1906 part of the first construction phase was increased and the waiting room with inner courtyard was expanded to form a new large hall.

The overall planning for the State Bath Wildbad from 1959 provided for the demolition of the König-Karls-Bad. The city planners wanted to create space for access to the new buildings. In contrast to other measures, the cancellation was not carried out. The building has been a listed building since 1972 .

steam bath

use

After the completion of the New Eberhards Bath as a spa center, the bathing facilities in the König-Karls-Bad were no longer needed. Since then it has served as the guest house with lecture, reading and event rooms as well as a cinema at times .

From 2010 to 2012 the building was completely renovated and the interior was restored. A part of the historical bath rooms is open to the public as a museum area. There are regular spa concerts in the large hall . Conversions on the upper floor, the improvement of fire protection and barrier-free access to both floors enable the use for meetings and conferences.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Ministry of Finance Baden-Württemberg, Construction Department (Ed.): Staatsbad Wildbad. Memorandum for overall planning. Stuttgart 1959, p. 10.
  2. ↑ Eckart Hannmann: Wildbad and its vanished splendor. In: Preservation of monuments in Baden-Württemberg. 25th year 1996, issue 1, doi : 10.11588 / nbdpfbw.1996.1 , p. 41.
  3. ^ Bad Wildbad: Förderverein - Kino in Wildbad eV Accessed on January 14, 2020 .

literature

  • Thomas Eckard Föhl: Wildbad. The chronicle of a spa town as building history. Druckhaus Müller, Neuenbürg 1988, pp. 233-264.
  • Ministry of Finance and Economy Baden-Wuerttemberg (Ed.): Renovation of König-Karls-Bad Bad Wildbad. 2012 ( PDF; 2.3 MB ).

Web links

Commons : König-Karls-Bad  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 48 ° 44 ′ 57.6 ″  N , 8 ° 32 ′ 59.5 ″  E