Bad Nauheim is situated in the western
part of Germany at the foot of the Taunus hills with grapevines,
orchards and rose fields around it. Salt water springs in this area
were already exploited by the Celts and the Romans. In the 18 th
century the Nauheim salt works had developed into one of the biggest
and most modern enterprises of that kind. The village of salt producers
began to change into a spa in the first half of the 19 th century when
the curative power of the salt water from wells that had recently been
drilled was recognized. In 1854 Nauheim was granted the status of a
town and in 1869 the title “ Bad ” (=spa).
In 1900 Bad Nauheim - with thousands of guests - had become an
internationally renowned spa. A cure at a spa was not only taken for
health reasons, but was to meet the demand of prominent guests from
different countries for social intercourse. At the turn of the century,
changed hygienic and aesthetic ideas and expectations required the
construction of new bathhouses.. Bad Nauheim belonged to the Grand
Duchy of Hesse-Darmstadt. Grand Duke Ernst Ludwig of Hesse and by Rhine
was a progressive sovereign with a high appreciation of art. The Grand
Duke was also guided by economic considerations. He expected the arts
to become a promising sector of economy after the motto “My Hesse ( my
country ) is to flourish, and in it are to flourish the arts”. The new
buildings in Bad Nauheim were to demonstrate that.
Under the direction of Wilhelm Jost, Großherzoglicher
Regierungsbauinspektor (building inspector of the government), the
cure and technical facilities of the health resort were newly designed
after a uniform plan between 1902 and 1912. In 1901/02
Jost first built the Inhalatorium in the middle of the spa
park, today used as Bad Nauheim's public library.
The Sprudelhof ( fountain court ) was erected between 1905
and 1912, with 240 bathroom cubicles, cells for royalties and new
fountain basins. With its richly decorated bathhouses, their waiting
halls and ornamental inner courtyards the Sprudelhof ranks
with the most impressive witnesses of German Jugendstil. The
ornamental courtyards and waiting-rooms of the six bathhouses are
designed in different styles with numerous artistic details. The
ornamentation of the wells, figures and the décor refers to the
wholesome power of water.
The Trinkkuranlage ( mineral water complex ) was erected
between 1910 and 1912. The horseshoe-shaped complex encloses
colonnades, an inner courtyard, a drinking hall or pump room, a
bandstand and a rectangular water basin in front of it. The
Kurbrunnen ( mineral spring ) at the end of the western colonnade
is connected with the drinking hall. In its centre an octagonal well
with a golden dome-shaped roof gives healthful waters.
At the same time the Kurhaus ( representative centre of the
spa ), erected between 1862 and 1864, was extended: the terrace and the
garden were enlarged, a music pavilion was added. A concert hall,
richly decorated with abstract and figured Jugendstil paintings, was
built.
|
