Strasserwirt **** Tyrolean Manor House
Das Bauernbadl in Abfaltersbach
The bathing culture has a long tradition, which goes back to ancient times.
The ancient Romans not only valued the bath for purification, but also attributed healing powers to it. In the Middle Ages, the Christian doctrine of asceticism arose, which rejected bathing as a luxury and softening. The syphilis that Spanish mercenaries smuggled into Europe meant the end of many bathhouses in the 15th and 16th centuries due to the high risk of contagion. This “water shyness” lasted a long time; during the Baroque and rococo periods, powder and perfume replaced water and soap. The Sun King Louis XIV has reportedly never bathed in his entire life. From the High Middle Ages, however, due to the healing effects of mineral and sulfur springs, spas were created all over Europe, attracting true crowds of pilgrims in search of relief. The “Aigner Badl” can look back on a long history that begins in the middle of Abfaltersbach. Here stands the Gasthof Post, first mentioned in 1450, which until a few years ago actually housed the post office.
In 1599 Georg Aigner, a farmer from nearby Sillian, bought the inn and settled in the village. In 1772, the Aigner family built a bathhouse, the Aigner Badl, just outside the village. At that time, the small paneled bathrooms were located on the lower floor. Today there are four single and two double cabins with a total of eight bathtubs made of larch wood. The bath has always been intended not for ladies and gentlemen of blood, but for craftsmen, peasants, servants and maids. At first, the bathers did not seek relief from suffering, but simply physical cleanliness. In the course of time, the facility developed into a spa, the healing source helps balneological findings against skin and joint diseases. In the middle of the 19th century, about 300 bathers were counted each year, today there are 700 to 1000. Finally, the Aigner Badl was completely renovated and repaired in the form of the founding period.
A DAY IN THE BAUERNBADL ABFALTERSBACH
You drive by car to the Bauernbadl to Abfaltersbach (or ride the 4 km long route on the Drauradweg with our bicycles) –
Appointment as desired:
- You can relax for about an hour in the warm sulfur water in old historic wooden tubs.
- Then let the special effect of a sulfur bath on a couch reverberate.
- Afterwards, you can enjoy a small snack with Anna Aichner, the landlady.
The spa day is rounded off by a massage at the Strasserwirt – we will be happy to reserve an appointment for you.
