FROM THE DEPTHS
Water is Life – Healing Water and Drinking Fountains
Water flows through the city, water flows through the city’s history, and water is still omnipresent today. It is Bad Vilbel’s most important element. The Nidda River allowed the town to emerge, as trade routes crossed it via a ford.
However, the city’s true treasure lies underground: the healing and mineral water has brought prosperity and fame to Bad Vilbel.
It was once bottled in around 30 well operations and continues to contribute significantly to the city’s economic life today. Bad Vilbel also owes its “Bad” (Spa) title to its healing water, which was once used in baths to unleash its therapeutic effects.
Five public drinking fountains invite you to sample the water and enjoy drinking cures:
In the foyer of the Dorint Hotel at the Kurgarten (01), in the VILCO (02, only during Citizens’ Office opening hours), at the fountain temple near the VILCO (03), at the Town Hall Bridge (04), and in the Quellenhof (05).
You can find more information about the individual drinking points by clicking on the landmarks on the map.
The state-recognized healing water is recommended for stomach, intestinal, and metabolic disorders. Two cups per day are suitable for drinking cures. However, enjoying the healing water is also simply wonderful and refreshing after a long hike or bike ride.
01_ DORINT HOTEL
02_ VILCO
03_ FOUNTAIN TEMPLE ON THE NIDDA RIVER PATH
04_ FOUNTAIN AT THE TOWN HALL BRIDGE
05_ QUELLENHOF
WATER IS LIFE – The History
In 1864, the innkeeper Johann Philipp Wilhelm Hinkel tapped a spring on the family property in Frankfurter Straße. It was the cornerstone for Bad Vilbel’s development as the City of Springs. From 1900, Hinkel’s son Fritz named the company Hassia-Mineralbrunnen-Sprudel. As the only one of the former 30+ bottling plants, it still exists today as Germany’s leading mineral spring: Hassia Mineralquellen Bad Vilbel.
The mineral water, later recognized as healing water, is a pure natural product with medicinal, soothing, and preventive properties.
The mineral content of the healing spring is shaped by the types of rock formed millions of years ago. The water from a healing spring travels a long way from the depths. In the process, it dissolves minerals and salts from the rocks and soil layers, becoming healing water. The carbon dioxide in a healing spring is a natural gas created when volcanoes became extinct and the magma solidified deep inside the earth. The carbon dioxide rises to the surface and, with its mechanical pressure, helps the mineralized deep water reach the light of day.
WATER IS LIFE – For Body and Mind
In the extensive Burgpark, alongside other highlights, you will find a modern Kneipp facility with water-treading and arm basins, as well as a barefoot path and a herbal display bed.
The Nidda and its surroundings form a Green Belt that stretches through all of Bad Vilbel to the districts of Dortelweil and Gronau. Unlike along rivers elsewhere, no roads disturb the pleasure of strolling through the parks on both sides of the banks, which later transition into renatured, natural riverside areas.
Each section has its own charm and offers various places for experience and relaxation.
The many bridges let you switch sides of the river so you can explore it all.
