The Aachener Thermalquellen, also known as the Thermal Springs of Aachen and Burtscheid, are a system of more than 30 thermal mineral springs located in the area around Aachen (Aix-la-Chapelle), Germany. The area has been known for its hot sulfur springs for thousands of years. The hot mineral water aquifer flows from the

Upper Devonian The Devonian ( ) is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic era, spanning 60.3 million years from the end of the Silurian, million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Carboniferous, Mya. It is named after Devon, England, whe ...

limestones that meet the Variscan thrust front of the

Rhenish Massif The Rhenish Massif, Rhine Massif or Rhenish Uplands (german: Rheinisches Schiefergebirge, : 'Rhenish Slate Uplands') is a geologic massif in western Germany, eastern Belgium, Luxembourg and northeastern France. It is drained centrally, south to ...

, and flow through the city center of Aachen in a 500m long by 50m (maximum width), that emerges from the source at numerous spring heads. Four of these spring heads are still accessible; two are managed. The hot spring flow from Burtscheid (a district of Aachen) is 2200m long with numerous spring heads. The hot springs have been used for balneotheraputic purposes since the early Roman settlement in Aachen. The historical political and economic growth of Aachen developed around the springs, in particular mineral water production, the spa and bathing sector, and the textile industry. Later the

Franks The Franks ( la, Franci or ) were a group of Germanic peoples whose name was first mentioned in 3rd-century Roman sources, and associated with tribes between the Lower Rhine and the Ems River, on the edge of the Roman Empire.H. Schutz: Tools, ...

arrived. The first known written text about Bad Aachen (Aachen baths) is linked to the

Frankish Frankish may refer to: * Franks, a Germanic tribe and their culture ** Frankish language or its modern descendants, Franconian languages * Francia, a post-Roman state in France and Germany * East Francia, the successor state to Francia in Germany ...

king,

Pippin the Short the Short (french: Pépin le Bref; – 24 September 768), also called the Younger (german: Pippin der Jüngere), was King of the Franks from 751 until his death in 768. He was the first Carolingian to become king. The younger was the son of t ...

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first Em ...

inherited Pippin's manor at Bad Aachen sometime after 766 AD. Aachen came to be known as an elegant European spa town where personages such as George Frideric Handel, Albrecht Dürer,

Voltaire François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778) was a French Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher. Known by his '' nom de plume'' M. de Voltaire (; also ; ), he was famous for his wit, and his criticism of Christianity—es ...

, and

Peter the Great Peter I ( – ), most commonly known as Peter the Great,) or Pyotr Alekséyevich ( rus, Пётр Алексе́евич, p=ˈpʲɵtr ɐlʲɪˈksʲejɪvʲɪtɕ, , group=pron was a Russian monarch who ruled the Tsardom of Russia from t ...

"took the waters” at Bad Aachen.

History

The thermal springs in the Aachen area have been known for thousands of years. Stone tools as old as 6,500 years have been found nearby. Burial mounds in the area are dated from the Bronze and Iron Ages. Around 600 BC, the

Celts The Celts (, see pronunciation for different usages) or Celtic peoples () are. "CELTS location: Greater Europe time period: Second millennium B.C.E. to present ancestry: Celtic a collection of Indo-European peoples. "The Celts, an ancien ...

arrived; later in the 1st century AD, the Romans established a large spa for the military at Aachen. These baths could hold 6,000 soldiers at a time.

Water profile

The thermal springs of the Aachen/Burtscheid area are situated within

limestone. The hot mineral water emerges from the source at an average of 158°F / 70°C, and is high in sodium, chloride, and sulfate. The city of Aachen has stated that the spring water contains "not less than 19 different mineral elements." The discharge flow from the Aachen springs is 3.5 million liters per day, making them the most productive thermal springs in Germany. The springs at Burtsheid discharge 2.2 million liters per day.

Gallery

File:CarolusThermen01.JPG, Carolus Thermen hot waterfall and soaking pool File:CarolusThermen04.jpg, Carolus Thermen File:CT-Ruhepool1.JPG, Carolus Thermen Ruhepool Tepardarium File:Badehalle Kaiserbad 1900 Festschrift.jpg, Badehalle Kaiserbad 1900 File:Kaiserbad englisch 1910.jpg, Kaiserbad Thermal Hotel, 1910 File:Schlangenbadquelle.JPG, Schlangenbadquelle, Burtscheid File:Marktbrunnen, Burtscheid (5).JPG, Marktbrunnen in Aachen-Burtscheid File:Rosenquelle Burtscheid Auslauf.jpg, Rosenquelle Burtscheid Auslauf

References

{{Reflist Hot springs of Germany Geothermal areas Spa towns in Germany Balneotherapy Springs of Germany