Inn to the angel
Unfortunately, the Engel is no longer an inn today, but its history goes back a long way: Hermann Keller's first hotel with a saline bath for the poor in Rheinfelden was the predecessor of today's Reha Rheinfelden.
Cures for the poor.
Dr. Hermann Keller founded the spa for the poor in the Engel in 1864. He had become very rich as a spa doctor and ballneologist through the aristocratic spa guests. The baths in the Gasthaus zum Engel were made available for bathing free of charge to the poor people who had no money for a cure.
"In the winter of 1864/65 we installed 15 bath tubs for 60 people", from which it can be concluded that the spa guests bathed four to a tub.
Forerunner of today's Reha Rheinfelden.
However, as there were many more poor people, the Engel quickly became too small and a larger location was sought. But there was no more room for it in the old town. So Dr. Keller decided to buy land in the east outside the old town and in 1896 founded a clinic under the name «Aargauische Badeanstalt für unbemittelte Kranke» (Aargau bathing establishment for the impecunious sick), which was later called «Solbadklinik». It was the forerunner of our present-day Reha Rheinfelden, which is known throughout Switzerland. Later, an inn was opened in the Engel, and today it houses a dental practice.
Further information
Good to know
The former hotel and restaurant now houses a practice and offices. The building is therefore not open to the public.
The brine was fed directly into the hotels via a widely ramified pipeline system and mixed with drinking water. ThisRheinfelder Natursole® has many positive properties for health.
Contact
Tourism Rheinfelden
Town office, Marktgasse 16
4310 Rheinfelden
+41 61 835 52 00
tourismus@rheinfelden.ch
