German Boys' Activities: Outings--Spas and Resorts


Figure 1.--This little boy is at at an unidentified German spa. There are several hundred small spas like this located throughout the country. The boy seems to have made friends with a local pooch. Notice the sign behind him. The first words mean "Flowing hot and cold water ... ", surely a spa with hot and cold springs. We also see the word Zi (Zimmer), which means room. So the sign appears to read, "Hot and cold running water in your room". (Of course a hotel might have warm and cold water, but the staff would not have dressed in white lab coats--meant to convey a medical/health facility.) The photograph is undated, but looks like the early 1940s. The boy wears suspender shorts and beige long stockings. Although we cannot see the whole plaque in the upper left corner of the picture, a reader tells us that it says, "Durchgang nur für Badegäste". That means: "Passage only for spa guests".

Germany is noted for its spas a warm mineral springs. The concern with spas and wellness dates back to ancient times. Perhaps the most famous German spa is Baden-Baden. The Roman were known to enhoy the hot mineral springs there. Bathing fell out of favor after the fall of the Roman Empire durung the medieval era. The popularity of the spas began to recover in the modern era (18th century). At the time, spas were mostly used by royalty and aristocrats, the people at the tome who could afford to travel. This changed in the 19th century with the advent of railroads--the same dynamic affecting seaside resorts. The railroads substantially reduced the cost of travel at the same time that the Industrial Revolution was creating enormous wealth and signbificantly expanding the middle class. The spa resorts becane enornously popular. There were even important binternational meetings held that. While a few spas like Baden-Baden are extremely well known, there are many lesser-known spa resorts. One estimate suggests thart Germany alone has 900 spa resorts. There are different kinds of spas, including mineral and mud spas, climatic health resorts (fresh air), sea-side resorts, and Kniepp hydrotherapy spa resorts. Trips to spas are commonly family events.









HBC





Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Web Site:
[Return to the Main German outings page]
[Return to the Main German activities page]
[Return to the Main country outings page]
[Introduction] [Biographies] [Chronology] [Clothing styles] [Countries] [Photography]
[Bibliographies] [Contributions] [FAQs] [Glossaries] [Images] [Links] [Registration] [Tools]
[Boys' Clothing Home]



Created: 7:22 PM 10/22/2009
Last updated: 9:28 PM 10/22/2009