A part of Germany’s national heritage
A part of Germany’s national heritage
Last December Germany’s UNESCO commission recognised Sebastian Kneipp’s health concepts and therapeutic practices as part of the country’s Intangible Cultural Heritage. Kneipp, who lived from 1821 to 1897, created a system of holistic wellness and natural healing that’s best known for its hydrotherapy treatments.
Kneipp discovered and developed his system through necessity, in the late 1840s, after being diagnosed with consumption, the illness known today as pulmonary tuberculosis. Though it’s now treatable, the condition then was often fatal. As part of efforts to overcome his illness, Kneipp read a book by the doctor Johann Siegmund Hahn which expounded the benefits of hydrotherapy, and proved to be an inspiration. In the winter of 1849, Kneipp repeatedly immersed himself in the River Danube and, remarkably, forced his condition into remission.
In 1852 Kneipp was ordained as a priest in Augsburg. Three years later he was sent to the Bavarian town of Wörishofen, in the foothills of the Alps, an 85km drive west of Munich. Many of his parishioners could not afford doctors’ fees, so Kneipp began treating them. Despite initial scepticism from the medical community, Kneipp successfully treated patients, growing his reputation. Look on a map of southern Germany today and you’ll see the town marked as Bad Wörishofen. ‘Bad’ translates to ‘bath’ and indicates that a location is a spa resort.
Situated at an altitude of 635 metres above sea level, Bad Wörishofen proved an ideal location for putting Kneipp’s theories into practice. The region’s waters are rich in fluoride and iodine. Today visitors can walk or cycle along 250km of marked trails in woodland adjacent to the town of 15,000 residents.
“Kneipp is omnipresent here. There’s nowhere with more public Kneipp facilities in such proximity – from arm baths to clinics and hotels,” says Christian Dannhart, the press officer of Germany’s Kneipp-Bund, a national organisation encompassing a network of state-level administrative organisations plus more than 600 Kneipp societies.
Far reach
“Essentially we encourage people to become healthier and motivate them to take responsibility for a healthy lifestyle by following the principles of Kneipp’s teachings and natural remedies,” says Dannart about the Kneipp-Bund, which was founded in 1897. Along with its international arm, Kneipp Worldwide, whose origins can be traced to 1962, the organisation is headquartered in the Bavarian town.
Every two years, Kneipp Worldwide – which has members in countries such as South Africa, Bulgaria and Denmark – organises International Kneipp Action Days. The events place emphasis upon having fun together, encouraging people to gather and learn about aspects of Kneipp’s teachings and practices. previous action days have been hosted in the likes of Maribor, Slovenia, in 2013, and most recently in Brixen, Italy. The next event is planned for Styria, Austria, in 2017.
In response to an upswing in interest in the life and work of Sebastian Kneipp, the Kneipp Museum was opened in 1986 within Bad Wörishofen’s Dominican monastery, which was founded in the mid- 13th century. The museum occupies the east wing of the historic building. Initially Kneipp’s treatments were harsh, though he realised their effects proved greater when the severity was reduced. “Three times I concluded to remodel my system and relax the treatment from severity to mildness and thence to greater mildness still,” wrote the priest, whose death mask sits sombrely among the 2,000 objects on display. His mortal remains are interred in a nearby memorial chapel.
Elemental healing
The Sebastian Kneipp Academy was established in 1977 and ensures his ideas live on. It offers seminars and training to health professionals on Kneipp’s concepts and therapy techniques. Those visiting Bad Wörishofen for treatments can choose from an array of experienced practitioners. “There are many trained Kneipp pool attendants with years of education. They are skilled in hydrotherapy treatments and know exactly where to direct the jets,” says Dannhart.
The Kneipp-Bund Hotel im Kneipp- Zentrum is among 165 clinics and hotels in the spa town, whose centre displays a statue of Sebastian Kneipp looking towards a fountain featuring vertical jets of water. The hotel provides guests with opportunities to relax in its garden after undertaking sessions of hydrotherapy, water gymnastics and massages. “The hotels offer a full spectrum of Kneipp treatments. In total that means about 120 water therapies but the water is just one of Kneipp’s five elements,” explains Dannhart.
Herbalism, exercise, a balanced lifestyle – both physically and mentally – plus healthy nutrition form the other four pillars of Kneipp’s system. Long before holistic wellness became fashionable, Sebastian Kneipp was, in effect, promoting it. He encouraged people to eat a diet rich in fruit and vegetables and to go light on meat – advice echoed by many modern dieticians. Branded Kneippbrød, a type of whole wheat bread, is still popular in Norway, where it has been sold since 1891.
Strict guidelines regulate whether a town can be certified as a Kneipp-Kurort or Kneipp-Heilbad. Both terms mean, essentially, that a locality is classified as a health resort while the latter appraises the quality of the air and water used during hydrotherapy treatments. In July, after 15 years as a Kneipp-Kurort, Tabarz, in Thuringia, celebrated upgrading to a Kneipp-Heilbad. people can follow a Kneipp-inspired trail through the town, pausing to experience sections of textured pathway that are designed to be walked on barefoot, plus arm and foot pools. The four- star Akzent Hotel Zur post is a popular base for exploring the town and nearby forest.
Diving in
What can people expect if they head to a spa for a programme of Kneipp treatment?
“It’s extensive, involving gymnastics and massages,” explains Axel Hausmann, manager of the Toskana Therme at Bad Schandau, in Germany’s leafy Saxon Switzerland region. “There’s a massage shower where, in principle, cold and warm water is used to invigorate the circulatory system. Kneipp therapy toughens people’s bodies. Drinking plenty of water and living healthily is part of it too. It’s a combination of things that should be undertaken together to have a beneficial effect.”
Bad Schandau is the oldest spa resort in the region and overlooks the River Elbe. The town’s gardens were laid out in 1873 and Kneipp treatments have been offered from that time onwards. Other forms of wellness have subsequently become popular, including the Toskana Therme’s Liquid Sound experience, which involves floating in brine while music is played through the water and coloured lights projected onto the ceiling. “Kneipp is a different kind of wellness. It is, more or less, a preventative measure. If a body is already broken, Kneipp is of little use – it is a safeguard that keeps people healthy,” explains Hausmann.
One of the most widely practised treatments involves people dipping their arm in cold water for 30 seconds at a time, then moving the limb in a circular motion. “That’s humorously become known as the Kneipp coffee or Kneipp espresso…it’s possible for people to do it anywhere, so long as the washbasin holds water reaching past the elbow,” says Christian Dannhart.
Another popular exercise involves striding through cold water reaching just below the knees. With every step the entire leg that’s being lifted has to be pulled out of the water. It’s invigorating, boosting blood flow, and is reputed to be useful in treating varicose veins.
More than 130 years after the publication of Sebastian Kneipp’s book, My Water Cure, his ideas continue to have influence in Germany and beyond, encouraging many to take the plunge, both literally and metaphorically.
