Bad Wörishofen (German pronunciation:[ˈvøːʁɪsˌhoːfə̆n]) is a spa town in the district of Unterallgäu in Bavaria, Germany, known for the water-cure (hydrotherapy) developed by Sebastian Kneipp (1821–1897), a Catholic priest who lived there for 42 years. Many of the resort hotels and boarding-houses in Bad Wörishofen offer their guests treatment using Kneipp's methods.
The new spa complex out of town is called Therme Bad Wörishofen. Time magazine called the town "the secret capital of health".[3]
Geography
The town is located on the Wörthbach, a tributary of the River Mindel in Donau-Iller, which is a border region straddling Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. It is approximately 80 km / 50 miles west of Munich and 35 km / 22 miles east of Memmingen.
History
The first known reference to the place dates from 1067, where it is described as the lordship "Werenshova". The name is thought to mean "Homestead of Werin". For centuries Wörishofen was an agricultural settlement. Between 1719 and 1721 the Dominican Wörishofen Monastery was built under the direction of Dominikus Zimmermann.
After World War II, with south-western Germany belonging to the American occupation zone, Bad Wörishofen was the site of a displaced persons camp.[4] Most of the displaced people in question were of Lithuanian provenance. The camp enjoyed the confidence and support of the UNRRA, and was accordingly permitted to print its own bank notes.
Hermann Aust (1853–1944), a keen supporter of Sebastian Kneipp and supporter of the development of Bad Wörishofen as a spa town.
Viktor Frankl (1905–1997), founder of logotherapy, worked in Bad Wörishofen in 1945 where he was a doctor at the Hospital for Displaced Persons.
Sebastian Kneipp (1821–1897), pastor and Hydrotherapeut, inventor of Kneipp health treatment using water.
Carl Beines (1869–1950), violinist, composer, choral director and vocal pedagogue, whose pupils included Richard Tauber, and Herbert Ernst Groh, lived, taught and died in the town.
^ Genesis Online-Datenbank des Bayerischen Landesamtes für Statistik Tabelle 12411-003r Fortschreibung des Bevölkerungsstandes: Gemeinden, Stichtag (Einwohnerzahlen auf Grundlage des Zensus 2011).
^"Spannen Sie aus in Bad Wörishofen. Im Kneipp-Kurort kann Mann Kraft tanken: Wellness-Woche gewinnen". Berliner Kurier. (1 September 2010).
^DP Camp Bad Wörishofen
^Imogen Fox (23 July 2010), "Ooh, but they are comfy . . .", The Guardian: 13
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