Volderwildbad

Bathing was until not too long ago a luxury that one could not afford every day. Neither in the city nor in the countryside did apartments have bathrooms, let alone running water. For hygienic needs, there were bathhouses that you would visit from time to time to give the body a more thorough cleaning

In the countryside, there were so-called farmers' baths, which often also had a healing spring. In Volders, 15 km east of Innsbruck, there once was such a farmers' bath. The healing powers of the spring in Volders have been known since at least the late Middle Ages and were recommended especially against rheumatism, skin rashes, and nervous disorders.

However, the spa experienced its heyday in the Baroque period, when the physician and polymath Hippolyt Guarinoni (1571 – 1654) examined the spring and was able to detect various metals and minerals (including iron, saltpeter, vitriol, sulfur, and alum) in the water. Guarinoni was from Trento and had been working in Hall in Tirol as a city physician since 1601, later he also became the personal physician of the Archduchesses Eleonore and Maria Christina at the Haller Damenstift. He had, for his time, very modern views, particularly he focused on hygienic measures to prevent diseases and plagues, but also on physical exercise, movement, and healthy eating.

However, Guarinoni was also artistically active as a true Baroque scholar, especially dedicating himself to architecture. For example, the magnificent Karlskirche in Volders was built according to his plans. He also designed a remarkable chapel for the Volderwildbad, which is dedicated to Saints Cosmas and Damian. They are considered advocates for the sick, doctors, and pharmacists and, according to legend, in an operation amputated a "devoured" leg from a sleeping patient and replaced it with that of a deceased Moor. The baroque winged altar inside the chapel, which shows the two patron saints in the central image, is worth seeing.

Besides the chapel, some other buildings from the former Volderwildbad, which was in operation until 1968, are still preserved, such as the heating house. The former bathhouse with the beautiful wooden veranda is now an inn.