Healing water from Bad Kissingen

Brunnenfrau: A Bavarian tradition

Woman of the well Anette Sell and her young colleague Lisa Schleicher greet the participants, take the glasses and hold them under a tap. Carefully they fill the glasses with fresh water from the springs of Bad Kissingen, famed for centuries for their healing properties. Women of the well like Anette Sell and Lisa Schleicher still dispense the healing water in the traditional way – and thus preserve an ancient custom.

Healing water has a long tradition in Bad Kissingen: 500 years ago, medical practitioners already recognised their beneficial effects. In the middle of the 19th century, the Bavarian King Ludwig I commissioned a spa building that was exceptional at the time: the “Iron Well House”, in the middle of which was a deep basin. In those days, patients and guests had to climb down on their own to reach the health-giving waters. In 1909 the hall was torn down and replaced with the building we see today, which is the largest mineral water spa hall in Europe. Since 1911, women of the well have been dispensing the healing waters. Until 1991 they were still traditionally scooping it out by hand with a dipper. Today they fill the glasses from taps.

Water drinking cure – revitalize body and soul

Many guests drink the healing water for strength. Slow walking during the cure enhances the beneficial effect: “In today’s stressful and fast-paced times, it is very important to take time out from the hustle and bustle of everyday life,” asserts Anette Sell. “That’s not only good for the body, but good for the soul too.” If specific organs such as the gall bladder, bladder, kidneys, liver, intestines or stomach require treatment, the drinking cure is often prescribed by doctors. The composition of the water and the length of the spa treatment determine the success: four to six weeks is ideal.

Classical sounds in the Wandelhalle

And there is something else that makes a spa holiday in Bad Kissingen even more special: In the concert hall next to the Wandelhalle, the 13-member spa orchestra performs twice a day to an audience of hundreds. Guests in Bad Kissingen experience Bavarian healing waters with all their senses: As they drink, they amble through the mythical atmosphere of the Wandelhalle and soak up the effects of the classic sounds of the spa music. To date, this centuries-old ritual in the city has lost none of its health-giving effect.