Saturday, March 28, 2009

The People’s Bath

All I can tell you is my photo hardly does the “Grandest pool in Germany” any credit. It has been described as one of the most beautiful pools in the world, but the signs to not take photos and the pressure (as with most of Germany) to conform was enough to limit my ability to really show the grandeur of these pools. There are two large pools with amazingly high ceilings, statues, fountainheads spewing water, and intricate ironwork – which resembled an amazing Roman bath. That’s the gist of what we saw in the common area. I’ve already committed to returning and seeing the rest of the public baths. Believe it or not, the baths were given to the city of Munich as their first public bathhouse in 1901 by a wealthy engineer, Karl Muller. He bequeathed 5 houses to the city, which boasted a combined value of 1.8 million gold marks with the stipulation that the money was used to build a pool that could be enjoyed by the citizens of Munich. So we did our part, and it felt like we were back in 1901. What we ended up missing was the steam room and private cabines, which contain a locker, a bed, and a bit of privacy after your swim for a quick nap. Til next time…

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

..what a dream, what a dream!!! Never heard of it, but it will be on my list to visit. THX!!!

Annette said...

Absolutely beautiful. What a wonder it must be to see it in person. Isn't it horrible when people need to sneak photos....been guilty of it myself. :)

eurotrash said...

Hi, can you pls post the name of these baths and where they are?
Thanks!

Troy said...

The baths are the Volksbad or literally translated is the People's Bath. They are located just outside of the old city of Munich, along the Isar River. Address is Rosenheimer Strasse 1.