Bad bruckenau: the treasure still slumbers

In july, the mayor celebrated the concrete prospect of being able to have a treatment with the healing waters of the georgi spa billed as a health insurance service. It is a milestone for the city – and the first officially recognized outpatient drinking cure in bavaria. But a conclusive marketing concept is not yet available, even though the new service will be listed in the health insurers’ catalog of benefits as of january.

"We have created the framework conditions and done the groundwork", says leo romeis, head of the department for infrastructure, tourism and finance at the city administration. Karin bauer, head of the tourist information office, had wanted to wait for the outcome of the negotiations with the health insurance companies before taking any action. She is still in office until the end of the year. "Of course we have thought about it in advance", it emphasizes.

The tourist information would like to advertise the new drinking cure in two ways. Dr. Rainer matejka, a specialist in the malteser klinik von weckbecker, has written an article on the effects of the georgi spring. The tourist information office hopes that doctors will learn about the georgi-sprudel through publications in medical journals and send their patients to bad bruckenau.

In addition, the offer is to be included in the city’s advertising, for example in the hospitality directory, the spa brochure and other publications, says kathrin romeis-merten. From january she will be in charge of the tourist information office and thus also responsible for the marketing of the mineral springs. In this week special pictorial material is made for it by a fotografin. "The effect on the citizens is already underway", says romeis and refers to various press reports as well as facebook.

Concrete ideas for using the sources

It all started with the healing springs report by prof. Christoph gutenbrunner from the hanover medical school. He examined both georgi-sprudel and siebener and gave both healing springs excellent proof of efficacy. In the fall of 2015, the results met with a great response – not least from spa physicians and clinics.

In a follow-up process in the following year, gutenbrunner, in cooperation with the tourist information office and city partners, developed concrete ideas on how the healing springs could be better used and made more widely known. Gutenbrunner had also suggested that an attempt be made to have the healing waters of the georgi-sprudel recognized by the health insurance companies. He also pointed out possible cooperations, for example, with the hospital, von weckbecker’s clinic or the two physiotherapy practices with a short stay permit.

In the meantime, the tourist information office has done a lot of preparatory work: a brochure on all seven of the town’s healing springs has been printed; the summer hall in the georgi hall has been made more attractive; romeis-merthen completed the further training "seal of approval for exemplary health requirements at the health resort" – a prerequisite for the new drinking cure; among other things, the city presented concrete offers with the vein days and seminars on mindfulness, some of which, however, are not in demand at all.

"It’s fundamentally hard to sell health to self-pay patients", bauer takes stock. The new drinking cure does not completely eliminate this challenge, after all, it is only a supplementary payment by the health insurance companies. The condition of the georgi spring itself also remains unclear. A follow-up investigation will be carried out at the beginning of next year to determine the extent of the need for remediation of the source facility.

Rethink free water dispensing

Another question concerns the free accessibility of the healing water in the spring house at the georgi hall. The administration of the healing water as part of a drinking cure co-financed by the health insurance funds provides for the water to be dispensed in a separate area. This is the case with the practice szczesniak. The city did not promise the health insurance companies the abandonment of the public spring pavilion, the mayor makes clear.

Nevertheless, there has long been talk of making the citizens pay in some form for the water, as has been the case in the state spa for some time now with the so-called "heilquellenkarte" (healing springs card). At the latest, when the next city council thinks about the renovation of the georgi hall, the city will have to think about it very seriously", says meyerdierks. The manager of the tourist information office puts it more clearly: "for me personally, it’s all about value", she says. If something costs money, it automatically gains value.

The city’s fathers, the chamberer says at the end of the conversation, made a conscious decision in the 1970s to focus the city on health issues. "Industrial companies did not come because of this", he remembers. After the health reform in the 1990s, which put the brakes on numerous classic health resorts in germany, this focus was forgotten. "The path had to be continued consistently", he says.

It is only in recent years that the city has once again focused more strongly on its potential in the area of health and recreation, says romeis, describing the development. "Health is our economic factor", the mayor stresses and calls the prevention of a rhon national park a "mistake". And so the circle to the georgi-sprudel closes: according to meyerdierks, the current city council also made a conscious decision for the health orientation in the 2015 budget consultation – and got the healing spring expertise underway.

This is how the healing water of the georgi spring works:

Indications due to its high content of calcium (915 milligrams per liter) and magnesium (170 mg/l), the healing water of the georgi spring is used in osteoporosis and diseases of the nervous system. It also supports the treatment of urinary tract infections or functional disorders of the biliary tract, as well as obesity. It regulates the intestinal activity, especially in case of constipation. The georgi spring also helps with menopausal disorders and diabetes mellitus. Due to its high fluoride content (1.51 mg/l), it prevents tooth decay. The high carbon dioxide content (2389 mg/l) helps heal wounds when used in the normal way.

Application for calcium and magnesium intake should drink 0.5 to 1.5 liters a day, two liters for urinary tract diseases. For the treatment of digestive problems, 0.2 to 0.5 liters is recommended – preferably sipped with the main meal. Walks in the spa park or treading water in the kneipp pool behind the georgi hall strengthen the immune system.

554 meters deep is the georgi spring. From 300 meters, the pipe narrows to six centimeters in diameter.

The georgi spring is 112 years old. The spring was drilled in 1907 and renewed in 1969.

0.2/0.3 liters per second the georgi spring normally sheds. The water comes up by itself.