Sebastian Kneipp (1821 – 1897)
Sebastian Kneipp was a hugely popular and effective healer, who revolutionized naturopathic medicine in the 19th century. In an era before penicillin was discovered, and despite the opposition of the medical establishment, Kneipp – a Catholic priest – cured people of illnesses such as tuberculosis and cholera using natural methods as a basis for therapy.
His treatments made him famous all over Europe and thousands of people flocked to seek help. Some of his celebrated patients included Archduke Franz Ferdinand and Pope Leo XIII.
Bad Berneck’s long tradition as a health resort started around 1850. The town was renowned for its mild climate and clean mountain water, and was visited by many guests for its whey and herbal treatments. A patron of the town, Wilhelm Rother instigated the introduction of Kneipp therapy in Berneck by bequesting a large sum in his will towards establishing hydrotherapy treatments. The investment paid off. In the thirties, Kneipp therapy in Berneck became a huge success and attracted more visitors than ever – leading to the town receiving its official certification as a spa (“Bad”) in 1950. The spa business boomed in Bad Berneck for over 30 years, and Bad Berneck is still known well beyond the region.
Wading in shallow pools and being doused by ice-cold water from buckets and hoses?
Stereotypes!
Kneipp Therapy today looks very different today than it did during the lifetime of Sebastian Kneipp.
Kneipp’s teachings include not only the well-known “water stepping”, but stands for principles such as a healthy diet, sufficient exercise and the relaxation of body and mind.
Kneipp was ahead of his time. He was one of the first to recognise the connection between mental and physical health, nutrition and the environment in which we live. Kneipp’s holistic approach anticipated much of what is taken for granted in medicine today.
The president of the Kneipp Association of Bad Berneck, Hanna Enache-Wigger, likes to call Kneipp teachings “European naturopathy”, because his system integrates all the natural healing traditions of our continent.
The 5 pillars of the Kneipp therapy are as follows:
- Hydrotherapy (water treatments)
- Phytotherapy (herbal medicine)
- Kinetic therapy (exercise therapy)
- Dietetics (nutritional therapy)
- Lifestyle Balance (regulative therapy)
Kneipp realised that the combination of all five elements leads to a significant strengthening of the immune system and to general health. His holistic approach aims to activate the self-healing powers of the body.
Especially in today’s hectic times, Kneipp’s teaching is more relevant than ever. Kneipp therapy is used effectively to counteract burnout and high blood pressure, to name just a few examples.
Hanna Enache-Wigger,
President of the local Kneipp Association, is a trained masseur and medical therapist.
She is a Kneipp expert and talks to us about the man, his teachings and his treatments – also in comparison with therapies from the Far East
Ingrid Binecki
Began her career in 1966 as a Kneipp therapist. In the early 1950s, her parents began running Kurheim Wittig (Kurheim = a bed & breakfast with spa elements) on the river Ölschnitz.
Here, she tells us about Sebastian Kneipp’s youth and his famous self-healing. As an enthusiastic ‘Kneippianer’ (user of Kneipp Therapy), she also describes the effects of the Kneipp Therapy on body and soul.
English versions by Catriona Gallo.
Life Story, Part 1
by Ingrid Binecki
The 5 Tenets
by Hanna Enache-Wigger
Kneipp´s Logic
by Hanna Enache-Wigger
Knepp Daily
by Ingrid Binecki
Life Story, Part 2
by Hanna Enache-Wigger
East meets West
by Hanna Enache-Wigger
The Patient´s Power to Heal
by Hanna Enache-Wigger
Kneipp Spin
A short, time-lapse film rotating around the bust of Sebastian Kneipp in the Kurpark.
Created by Dominic Day
Kneipp Water Treatment 1
Animation from a historic Kneipp book.
Created by Dominic Day
Kneipp Water Treatment 2
Animation from a historic Kneipp book.
Created by Dominic Day
Sebastian Kneipp – A brief life history:
Despite being born into an impoverished family of weavers in southern Bavaria, Sebastian Kneipp achieved his goal of becoming a Catholic priest. As a student, he found historical texts about water applications when he himself became terminally ill with lung disease. He healed himself with rigorous immersion baths, and then developed this method further.
He healed primarily poor people who could not afford a doctor, but came into conflict with physicians as well as the Church. During the cholera epidemic of 1854, when he saved many people from certain death, he became known as the ‘Cholera Priest.’
The place where he lived, Bad Wörrishofen, became a successful spa town while he continued refining his methods.
Kneipp became famous throughout Europe. In Norway, for example, he is famous for his bread recipe: ‘Kneippbrød’ is the most popular bread in Norway.
Due to his successful healing of Archduke Johann of Austria-Hungary’s sciatica complaint, the European aristocracy became acquainted with Kneipp.
Kneipp’s books sold millions of copies and are still in print today.
In 1886, Kneipp’s first book, “My Water Cure”, was published. This book also included his herbal remedies and a chapter on “energy giving foods.” The book was an absolute success and, rather than reducing the steady stream of those seeking help and healing (which had been his intention in writing the book), it increased his renown and clients. Working with a doctor who made the diagnoses, he saw over 150 patients a day in his consultation rooms.
His second book, “Thus Shalt Thou Live”, which described his principles for healthy living, was published in 1889. Further books followed, such as “My Will: A Legacy To The Healthy And The Sick” (1891) and he constantly refined and amended the writings about his cures.
Kneipp was a popular speaker; he went on numerous trips at home and abroad. It is estimated that he reached more than one million listeners in the three years of his lecture tours.
