The history of bathing in Rheinfelden
Bathing has a long tradition in Rheinfelden. Of course, the first bathing establishments and public baths already existed before the discovery of salt deposits and drinking cures. But it was only with the healing Rheinfelder Natursole® that the upswing as a spa town and later as a wellness destination began. Many of these historic facilities and traditions can still be experienced today.
Brine pipes: From the salt works to the brine baths.
Since 1925, the Rheinfeld bathing hotels have been connected to the Riburg salt works by a 2,335-meter-long pipeline system. Most of the pipes were well protected from frost in the ground. However, some of them also ran above ground, for example at Rhytörli. Parts of the brine pipeline are still visible today and run above ground along the Rhine retaining wall.
Rheinfelden as a health resort.
Rheinfelden became a fashionable spa town after the discovery of salt deposits and the construction of the brine spa hotels. Numerous aristocrats from all over Europe flocked to the small town on the Rhine for a cure. There is even said to have been a direct train from Paris to Rheinfelden (without stopping in Basel). Even today, the old town with its winding alleyways and charming house facades is still worth a visit.
Would you like to find out more about the spa town of Rheinfelden? On our guided tour "Rheinfelden as a spa town: tradition and modernity", you can immerse yourself in the beginnings of spa culture in Rheinfelden. Or go on our scenic tour of the town with Madame Louise de Sancerre in 1911 and experience how the spa treatment took place.
Bath doctor Hermann Keller.
Thanks to him, bathing and drinking cures were introduced in Rheinfelden. Keller's healing methods were not limited to the medical, but he also considered the psyche of his patients to be important. He was convinced that physical hygiene was not enough for recovery, but that the patient also had to undergo a moral and psychological change.
The life and work of spa doctor Herrmann Keller can be discovered at the Fricktal Museum.
Spa fountain and drinking cures.
The Capuchin spring, which was set in a drinking fountain west of the Schifflände in 1920, was so popular that the specially founded Kurbrunnen-Gesellschaft commissioned the local architect Heinrich A. Liebetrau to build the drinking hall in 1922/1923. The drinking cure complemented the brine bath cure. The fountain column stood in the pavilion of the drinking hall, which was demolished in 1979.
The water that ran in the classicist pavilion by the fountain column originally came from the Capuchin spring. Today, Rheinfelden's normal drinking water comes from the fountain column on Kurbrunnenplatz.
Drinking cures with personalized glasses.
What we know from breweries with beer steins (beer mugs) was also used for water. Beakers like these were made available to guests as (personalized) drinking vessels during the drinking cure in the drinking hall of the Kurbrunnen complex.
Hotel Schützen: Rheinfelden's first brine bath hotel.
The inscription "Bains" in the park of the Hotel Schützen is a reminder that the hotel was Rheinfelden's first brine bath hotel. The façade dates back to 1899, although there is no longer a brine bath in today's Hotel Schützen. However, the garden of the former spa hotel with restaurant still invites you to relax and linger.
IN SALE SALUS.
This means something like "in salt lies salvation and therefore health". Behind this door was the spa wing of the former spa hotel. There were various rooms with single and double bathtubs, which were used for bathing cures.
The door and the mosaic date from 1891/92 when the new Dépendance "Beausite" was built and are still in their original condition.
Park-Hotel am Rhein.
From the reception of the Park-Hotel am Rhein, you walk up into the past. The historic staircase, which today houses both the clinic and hotel rooms, dates back to 1891.
