Six unique guided tours formed part of the Rhine-Main region´s yearly Industrial Culture week. Organised by Bad Nauheim Stadtmarketing and Tourismus GmbH on 2, 5 and 6 August, these tours were a fresh initiative this year, inviting visitors to explore the underground technical areas of the Sprudelhof spa complex. After kitting up with suitable equipment, including helmets and flashlights, visitors dove into this labyrinth of tunnels, pipes and gullies.

The six bathhouses within the Sprudelhof Complex were built between 1905 and 1911. The 265 bath cells they contain are supplied with spa water directly from the drilling operations, from the basin or via huge tanks, all without pumps! Besides the unique above-ground bathhouses boasting their precious, Art Nouveau interiors, visitors were amazed by the state-of-the-art technical prowess of the facilities which represent an engineering masterpiece for their time. Gurgling channels, a rushing waterfall, clambering over pipes and up ladders made these guided tours a thrilling and informative experience.

Two more tours will be offered during Jugendstil Week: on 9 September at 1 pm and 3 pm.
If there is sustained interest in visiting the underground area, this will become a regular feature of the guided tours.

Re-opening of the Trinkkuranlage After three years of construction and renovation the Trinkkuranlage  opened again to the public at the beginning of 2011. The grounds were remodelled and in the former gargling-rooms a new kitchen has been installed for the adjoining café. The hall for meetings and events has got a modern annex with wardrobes and toilets.The historic dispensing fountain and the Kurbrunnen have not been touched. The horsehoe-shaped Trinkuranlage is part of the spa facilities. Here the bathing-therapy of the Sprudelhof was completed by drinking the healing waters from three mineral springs in Bad Nauheim. In the belle epoque there were concerts several times a day and the area with its colonnades was a popular meeting point for the international visitors. Now concerts, exhibitions and all kind of events will put new life into the Trinkkuranlage and make it attractive again for the inhabitants of Bad Nauheim.

Bad Nauheim is part of the ?Route of Industrial Culture"

This route in  the region Rhine-Main, created in 2000,  is part of the EC project "Sustainable and Accessible Urban Landscape" and  leads to listed industrial monuments as well as to modern outstanding industrial buildings and facilities, which form a regions culture. They are open for visitors once a year during the "Week of Industrial Culture".

Since December 2010 Bad Nauheim belongs to this route, presenting 21 industrial facilities, a lot of them with the main focus on Art Nouveau Heritage which is unique in Europe.

Examples are the central engine hall from 1906 with its ice-production, electric power station and district heating and the nearby steam laundry. Fascinating too is the distribution of the thermal waters with its complicated pipe system underneath the spa complex "Sprudelhof". All these examples are technical masterpieces and were up to date at this time.

Moreover the salt production is an important part of Bad Nauheim industrial history, actually being the origin of the later spa development. The old saline building, the saline works, the big water wheels and windmills testify to that time.

Further information: www.route-der-industriekultur-rhein-main.de