Sebastian Kneipp does not answer. It is a nice idea to assign the chat function on the Bad Wörishofen website to the man who represents the spa town like no other: the pastor and "water doctor" Sebastian Kneipp, born on May 17, 1821 in Stephansried in Upper Swabia, died on May 17 June 1897 in Bad Wörishofen. On the occasion of his 200th birthday, one would like to hear from Kneipp what he thinks about his teachings for a healthy life today. But the chat only offers programmed answers. Therefore, at the end we are left alone with the question: “Would Sebastian Kneipp add more to the five pillars of his teaching today? Occasional digital abstinence? "The answer generated is a counter-question:" Would you like to find out more about Sebastian Kneipp? "

It is said that he came to Bad Wörishofen on foot on May 2, 1855, as a confessor in the Dominican convent. There he developed his naturopathic treatment. “They want to get old, they want to stay healthy, but they don't want to do anything about it. If people took half as much care to stay healthy as they do today to get sick, they would be spared half of their illnesses. ”This is one of the many quotes attributed to Kneipp. He sometimes replaced diagnosis with intuition. He is said to have told a gout patient in the face that the suffering only came from feasting and drinking. The saying “Saufa wölla se alle, aba Sterba wants koiner” is also considered a Kneipp original.

The five elements of his “health concept”: water (watering), nutrition, exercise, order of life and medicinal plants.

Nature as a pharmacy.

Today this is called a “holistic approach”, “mind-body programs”, “mindfulness” or “resilience”.

In 1886, Kneipp recorded observations on the effects of his applications in the book "Meine Wasserkur".

His second book “So shall you live” then expanded the whole spectrum three years later.

Initially, his methods were controversial and prosecuted.

Doctors saw Kneipp as a "quack".

His patients were considered to be people "who allow themselves to be treated for delicacy and imaginary illnesses".

But those seeking help came in droves.

Unesco cultural heritage

Is his approach still relevant?

Self-healing powers are more in demand than ever.

So how future-proof is the Kneipp teaching, an intangible cultural heritage of Unesco since 2015?

And what does the Kneipp trademark mean for Bad Wörishofen today?

First finding on a tour of the city: There is emptiness and vacancy around Kneippstrasse instead of joie de vivre and lightness.

Events, including those celebrating 200 years of Kneipp, have long been postponed or canceled.

But the real estate market for exclusive condominiums is prospering, as can be seen from construction sites and announcements.

And despite the pandemic, new shops are opening in the pedestrian zone, including a Kneipp shop.

The corona crisis hit tourism hard. The number of guest arrivals in the Allgäu fell by almost 40 percent in 2020 compared to the previous year, the number of overnight stays fell by 27.1 percent to 9.9 million. Bad Wörishofen reported even greater losses: more than 50 percent fewer guest arrivals in 2020 and only 343,782 overnight stays, a minus of 47.4 percent. "Despite the Corona outages, we are positive that none of the landlords gave up - many of them still invested during the forced break," says spa director Petra Nocker. “And we know that more and more younger guests have been here in recent years.” Now the under-fifty-year-olds should be enthusiastic about the Kneipp cosmos. Nowhere else can you experience this cosmos as comprehensively and authentically as in Bad Wörishofen."Here you are practically following in Kneipp's footsteps."

Not only the approximately 120 Bad Wörishofener hotel operations have lost their income. In previous surveys, an average expenditure per guest per day of 130 euros was calculated. A decrease of around 300,000 overnight stays due to the Corona restrictions means a sum of more than 40 million euros that were not spent in the city last year.