Luitpoldbau

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The Luitpoldbau at Hindenburgring Süd 3

The Luitpoldbau (formerly Prinz-Luitpold-Bad , Luitpoldbad for short , address Hindenburgring Süd 3 ) is a listed building on the edge of the old town of the large district town of Kitzingen in Lower Franconia . Initially built as a bathing establishment, it now houses the Kitzingen adult education center and the city library.

history

prehistory

The history of the Luitpold building is closely linked to the inadequate hygiene conditions in Germany at the beginning of the 20th century. In 1906 there were only 19,000 bathtubs in the entire German Reich . A water pipe had existed in Kitzingen since 1864 , but only very few houses were connected to it. Most of the city dwellers instead used the 17 urban drinking water fountains that were spread across the city. The Luitpoldbau, which was built as a public bath, was created primarily to improve these conditions.

The initiator was the wine merchant Wilhelm Meuschel. In 1909 he anonymously donated a total of 10,000 marks to the city , which should be invested for the construction of a public bath. As a result, other wealthy people from Kitzingen also began donating money for the building. If the city council was initially skeptical about the building, it was finally decided to form a commission to which, in addition to Meuschel, the mayor Ludwig Graff and several members of the von Deuster family of wine merchants were appointed.

The plans became more concrete when the councilor Julius Preller donated another 30,000 marks and 1,830 m² of land for the public bath. The new bathroom was to be built on the corner of Glacisstraße and Wörthstraße between the city wall and the train station in the south of the old town. In 1912, 114,000 marks had already been collected from donations , so that the entire construction could be financed almost exclusively by private funds. In May 1912 the Bavarian royal court approved the naming of the future public bath. It was named "Prinz-Luitpold-Bad" after the Prince Regent .

From the Luitpoldbad to the Luitpoldbau

The relief on the fountain in front of the Luitpold building is reminiscent of the namesake Prince Regent Luitpold of Bavaria

The first plans by the Munich government architect Georg Völker were drawn up as early as 1911 . At the end of November 1912, the Coburg City Building Councilor Böhme revised the plans, whereby many elements of the first versions were retained. The court painter Georg Hartner from Kitzingen was able to be won over for the artistic work . On September 30, 1913, the foundation stone was laid for the future public bath, which was also to be set up for brine and therapeutic baths.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Kitzingen tried to become a spa town . When drilling at Reubelshof , abundant rock salt deposits were found that were suitable for therapeutic purposes. In 1911, a small health resort was started at the so-called Hadla Temple near the Falterturm . However, the comprehensive plans were never realized, mainly the outbreak of the First World War and the lack of funding after the war were the reasons for this.

The Kitzingen architect Peter Schiffer was in charge of construction management for the future public baths . The Bavarian King Ludwig III was planned. and to receive his wife on the day of initiation. June 29, 1914 was chosen as the inauguration day. However, the political consequences of the assassination attempt in Sarajevo on June 28 , which would ultimately lead to World War I, thwarted these plans. It was not until July 2, 1914, that bathing operations in the new public bath could begin.

In the period that followed, the city repeatedly invested a lot of money in bathroom systems. Immediately after the First World War, the Prinz-Luitpold-Bad was given facilities for spruce needle baths , bubble baths, oxygen baths and full baths. Electric vibration massages were also offered. However, due to the lack of coal, the house had to close its doors again and again in winter. The population did not accept the new bathroom to the extent desired and the number of visitors remained low. However, the bath also existed during National Socialism . The baths only closed after the bombing on February 23, 1945.

After the war, the Americans tried to make the bathroom open to the public again. The lack of profitability then led to the baths being closed in the 1970s. The historic building began to be rebuilt in spring 1977; demolition was previously discussed. The new Luitpoldbau cultural center was inaugurated on October 15 and 16, 1982 . The Kitzingen adult education center has been housed in the premises since then. The city ​​library already existed in the house during the time of the bath, but was given more space.

description

The former public bath is classified as an architectural monument by the Bavarian State Office for the Preservation of Monuments. It presents itself as a two-wing, two-storey mansard roof building with a domed hall in the entrance wing and was built in the style of the Prince Regent. The central vestibule presents itself with a dome, from which the central staircase takes over the access to the building. The dome was built based on the model of the Baroque Solitude Palace near Stuttgart . The double flight of stairs frames a drinking fountain, which already indicates the functions of the bathroom.

The interior of the former public bath was heavily changed by the renovations in the 1970s. Only the paintings in the vestibule , which were created by the court painter Georg Hartner, with their nautical motifs still recall the previous use as a bathroom. The largest changes were made to the eastern wing, the one-storey extension of which was increased. The characteristic slate roof was lengthened, and the courtyard between the two wings was extensively renewed.

literature

  • Doris Badel: Kitzingen - From Volksbad to Luitpoldbau . In: Yearbook for the district of Kitzingen. In the spell of the Schwanberg 2010 . Dettelbach 2010. pp. 99-112.

Web links

Commons : Luitpoldbau  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Doris Badel: Kitzingen - From Volksbad to Luitpoldbau . In: Yearbook for the district of Kitzingen. In the spell of the Schwanberg 2010 . Dettelbach 2010. p. 101.
  2. ^ Doris Badel: Kitzingen - From Volksbad to Luitpoldbau . In: Yearbook for the district of Kitzingen. In the spell of the Schwanberg 2010 . Dettelbach 2010. p. 103.
  3. ^ Doris Badel: Kitzingen - From Volksbad to Luitpoldbau . In: Yearbook for the district of Kitzingen. In the spell of the Schwanberg 2010 . Dettelbach 2010. p. 109.
  4. ^ Doris Badel: Kitzingen - From Volksbad to Luitpoldbau . In: Yearbook for the district of Kitzingen. In the spell of the Schwanberg 2010 . Dettelbach 2010. p. 110.
  5. ^ Doris Badel: Kitzingen - From Volksbad to Luitpoldbau . In: Yearbook for the district of Kitzingen. In the spell of the Schwanberg 2010 . Dettelbach 2010. p. 110.

Coordinates: 49 ° 44 ′ 6.9 "  N , 10 ° 9 ′ 43.8"  E