Alexander von Humboldt was once chief miner in Upper Franconia, court architect Leo von Klenze built striking buildings - but the greatest treasure of Bad Steben comes from the depths of the earth.
Bad Steben (dpa / tmn) -
The corona crisis currently makes travel almost impossible. It is also not yet clear when it will be safe to go on vacation within Germany again. But when the time comes, plenty of nature, wellness and mining stadium await you in the Franconian Forest.
Holger Schramm could go through as a forester, as he stands in the spa park of Bad Steben. Beard, hiking shoes and fleece jacket in natural tones. But Schramm is a natural coach ". One who recognizes birdsong - and who hugs trees.
Forest bathing is called Shinrin-Yoku in Japan and is recognized as a medical application there. In Upper Franconia, some consider it a spinning mill. Others get involved.
In a calm voice, Schramm guides the townspeople to approach the trees, to touch them. The trained media designer suffered from burnout at some point - and got out. Now he lives with nature and shows stressed spa guests and other visitors how to relax.
A spa with history
There is a lot of space, a lot of landscape in Bad Steben. The spa was well attended in the golden years of the cure, especially rheumatism patients came here. The spa is still very busy today, although the patients now pay for their treatments themselves. Because there is a natural treasure in Bad Steben: radon.
"The light radiation stimulates the cells, stimulates the immune system and activates the body's self-healing powers," explains Gerhart Klein, who has been researching radon for more than 30 years. The noble gas, slightly radioactive, is only found in a few places in Europe.
But not only radon occurs naturally in the northernmost Bavarian state bath, but also carbon dioxide and bog. The combination is practical for patients because it can be used to relieve pain from numerous ailments.
As a health resort, Bad Steben can look back on almost 200 years of history. The spa center with its pillar-changing hall was built by court architect Leo von Klenze, who also shaped the cityscape of Munich with his works.
Bad Steben is sporty
Kurpark, Kurzentrum, Kurkonzerte: A lot sounds like illness in Bad Steben, but it's not like that. You can see many fit people of all ages walking, walking and running through the spa gardens.
Hiking is particularly popular. The paths in the Franconian Forest are well signposted. They have to - because the forest is adorned with the title "Quality Region of Hikable Germany". There are 32 "Frankenwaldsteigla" trails of 5 to 18 kilometers in length. Ambitious can have fun on the many stages of the 242 km long Frankenwaldsteig.
Humboldt took care of the mining
A Berlin nobleman also once settled in Upper Franconia. The universal scholar Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859) did not really settle down, he was a rather restless personality. After all, he explored the American continent, among other things.
But before Humboldt set out into the world, he was the chief miner in the Principality of Bayreuth, which belonged to Prussia. His mission was to bring mining in the Franconian Forest and the Fichtel Mountains up to scratch. Gold, silver, nickel, tin and iron were mined - and slate in Lotharheil.
Visit to the mine, slate everywhere
Vacationers can still visit some of Humboldt's places of work today. The Friedrich-Wilhelm-Stollen in Lichtenberg is now a visitor mine. 200 years ago it was the most modern mine in the region and was used to drain other tunnels nearby. Iron and copper ore were also mined.
To date, slate has been mined in Lotharheil, some of which is hundreds of millions of years old. Anyone who walks and drives through the small towns of the Franconian Forest will see slate tiles on the houses and on the roofs - after all, the material was always there. Just like radon, carbon dioxide and bog. And the untouched nature, where not much has changed in the past decades.
If you want to escape the big city or the hectic pace of everyday life, you can do so in Bad Steben with little effort. And hug a tree now and then.
Information: Bayerisches Staatsbad Bad Steben, Badstraße 31, 95138 Bad Steben, 09288/74 70, email: info@bad-steben.de, www.bad-steben.de).