Wellness and well-being in a historical ambiance

The Badhaus spa at the Radisson Blu Schwarzer Bock Hotel in Wiesbaden is over 500 years old. On it`s anniversary, the historical bathhouse is shining in new splendor. The heritage-protected art nouveau spa and its annex have been elaborately restored with great care and attention to detail.

In the treatment, bath and massage rooms in the heritage-protected part of the spa building, the water taps made of bronze, the brass handrails, the high white wooden doors, and some of the art deco tiles have been preserved. The stone tubs built into the ground have been modernized for the requirements of today’s spa visitors. The Badhaus hallway with its high vaulted ceiling, the decorative marble-clad walls and pillars, and the 13 ornate white wooden doors with transom windows creates an incomparably relaxing bathhouse atmosphere.

The Spa Area in the annex has a modern, purist design that refreshingly contrasts with the art nouveau style. Straight lines, large spaces and a harmonious combination of ceramic flooring, mineral wall surfaces and subtle lighting create a relaxing atmosphere for spa guests.

Observant spa guests will find the Schwarzer Bock emblem in many spots. Because, for all the tradition and solitude, it’s always good to know you’re still at the Badhaus at the Schwarzer Bock.

Badhaus history in Wiesbaden

1486 The “Schwarzer Bock” opens as a bathhouse in Wiesbaden. This recorded year still graces the door of the hotel bar. The hotel dating back o 1486 is the oldest enterprise in the city of Wiesbaden. Why did they choose the name “Schwarzer Bock”? Legend has it that the first owner of the bathhouse was the mayor Philipp zu Bock. As he had black hair, his house was called “Zum schwarzen Bock.”

1578 The Schwarzer Bock and the town of Wiesbaden suffer great damage in a fire. The house is newly rebuilt by Hermann Burg.
1637 In the middle of the 30 Years’ War, it is recorded: “Zum Bock has been fairly ravaged and now has no inhabitants.” At the end of the war, only 51 citizens were left in the small town of Wiesbaden.

1662 It is documented that the “Bock” has reopened: It even has two public baths.

1672 Louis XIV’s troops march through Wiesbaden again. The city is secured with trenches, gates and towers.

1677 The main damage from the 30 Years’ War has been repaired and in the list of bathhouses the “Bock” is called “Zum Schwarzen Bock.”

1712 The “Schwarzer Bock” is newly rebuilt and expanded in the same year through the acquisition of further property.

1717 Johann Philipp Schramm, the valet of Prince Georg August Samuel, becomes the owner of the “Schwarzer Bock” by marrying his widow. To make his bathhouse profitable, he installs a horse bath: an attraction for the small town.  

1712 The “Schwarzer Bock” is newly rebuilt and expanded in the same year through the acquisition of further property.

1726 The eight bath house owners who are entitled to purchase appoint two fountain masters every year to supervise, repair and clean the cooking fountain. The spring water is not only used to supply baths, but is often sold to Mainz, Frankfurt and other places.

1736 The “Schwarzer Bock” flourishes and receives the distinction of “first-class bathhouse”.

1749 After Schramm's death, the "Black Bock" passed into the hands of the surgeon and hesritakkewalter Johann Daniel Exeishein, whose widow continued to run the bathhouse until 1779. Darmuthin faler zune Heil ge You Franditers hen readM in Eheveres laguarantee that you The owner is the Badhauseisentüri ("mirror") Ferdinand Daniel Bergmann. He lets the horse bath close down because: "During the war years everyone wanted to use it free of charge...,

1818 The owner Bergmann, who had achieved solid prosperity, dies. His wife continued to run the business for another four years and then handed the property over to her son-in-law Chistian Bauer, a postal secretary by profession. In addition to the bathhouse, Bauer runs the post office and also a winery. On the advice of the Jassavian government, he again set up a horse bath that offers space for two horses. Goethe cured in the “Schwarzer Bock” and wrote the meaningful lines: “When bathing, the first duty is that you don’t rack your brains and that, at the most, you just study how to lead the most fun life.”

1834 The “Bock” is sold to the Rudolph couple.

1860/61 The couple passes the “Bock” on to their two daughters. The house now has 47 rooms and can provide 50 bathrooms every day. The guests in the bathhouses only have accommodation and bathrooms; they have to feed themselves; They cook the food on the stove in their room.

1865 Dostojewski writes his novel “The Gambler” in “Schwarzer Bock” - the casino is just around the corner. He gambles away his travel money playing roulette. In addition, ownership of the “Schwarzer Bock” changed to the merchant Theodor August Schäfer.

1899 Schäfer acquires the adjoining inn “Zur goldenen Kette”. All of the bathroom cabins that lie around Kranzplatz are now considerably old and can hardly keep up with the demands. Schäfer also recognizes this: the “Black Bock” and the “Golden Chain”. “ with the “Zum Schwarzen Bock” bathhouse were demolished and a modern new building was built in their place before the First World War. After the “Golden Chain” was united with the Badhavs “Zum Schwarzen Bock”, all the springs are located on the premises of the “Schwarzer Bock”, and its owners took up the idea of combining them into one spring and regrouping it. This will lead to a simplification of the old ownership and shareholding relationships and an improvement in medical conditions.

1906 A corresponding submission to the magistrate was approved: the city built the system and the costs were distributed proportionately among the bathhouse owners. The new common source is named “Three Lilies Source” based on the three lilies in Wiesbaden’s coat of arms. Wiesbaden is now, untouched by world history, a city of “European format” and a world spa town. The “Schwarzer Bock” now has bathrooms with electric lights, lifts and 220 beds – room price 5 marks!

1911/12 The roof of the “Schwarzer Bock” is built.

1919 Europe sinks into the First World War. But as early as 1919, a spa guest's diary says: 'It's six o'clock in the morning. Spa guests flock to the springs from all streets, alleys and paths..."

1929-31 In addition to the bath units on the ground floor, upper-level baths are also established and the left side wing is also expanded during this time.

The Kochbrunnen in Wiesbaden is the best-known thermal spring in the city. This sodium-chloride spring was the center of the Wiesbaden drinking cure in the 19th century. The name “Kochbrunnen” (boiling fountain) refers to the water temperature of over 150 °F.

The spring at the Kochbrunnenplatz is first mentioned in 1366 as Bryeborn (Brühborn) and 1536 as Syedenborn (Siedeborn). The Kochbrunnen is an artesian spring that is, however, captured through a bore today. The productivity is around 360 liters/minute. The Kochbrunnen water has a temperature of around 150 °F when exiting, it smells faintly of hydrogen sulfide and tastes strongly salty. It is clear but turns turbid yellowish after 24 hours exposed to the air. The high carbonation initially contains the hardness in solution but once the water loses its carbonation calcium carbonate results. The oxidizing metals color the sinter, the mineral deposits, a red color.

The Kochbrunnen is one of the primary springs in Wiesbaden. Only a small water amount supplies the drinking spot at the Kochbrunnen pavillion and the “Kochbrunnenspringer.”

Some of the Wiesbaden grand hotels have grouped themselves around the square Kochbrunnenplatz and the neighboring Kranzplatz: for example, the oldest hotel in Germany, the “Schwarzer Bock” founded as early as 1486, the former “Palasthotel” – the first hotel with a telephone in the room – and “Hotel Rose” which has been housing the Hessian State Chancellery since September 2004.

Between the former foyer on the western edge of the square and the Kochbrunnen pavilion, there was the angular drinking hall, which was destroyed in the Second World War.

The Kochbrunnen water that springs right across from the Badhaus is used for a variety of treatments in the spa. You can drink the warm curative spring water directly at the Kochbrunnen square.

The pool is filled with water from the Kochbrunnen spring. Baths with the Kochbrunnen water in traditional stone tubs are especially popular.