Stadtgemeinde Baden (ed.), Alexandra Harrer / Klaus Lorenz / Hans Hornyik (ed.): Badespaß & Kurstadtkipferl : Welterbe in Baden bei Wien entdecken. (Illustrations: Julia Stern). Berndorf: Kral, 2024 (ISBN: 978-3-99103-207-6)
Baden near Vienna was the first of the twelve World Heritage sites in Austria to publish a children's book about its World Heritage in the fall of 2024. The target group was deliberately defined broadly: According to the press release, the publication is not only aimed at children (especially those aged 8-10 years), but also at “adults who are young at heart”.
With the book “Badespaß & Kurstadtkipferl”, Baden near Vienna now has a publication that conveys the special value of the town as part of the “European Spas” World Heritage property in an entertaining way. The editors were inspired by the extensive dossier that was compiled over many years about the eleven spa towns in seven European countries (and which formed the basis for the inscription on the World Heritage List). The section on Baden's contribution to the “outstanding universal value” (OUV) of this World Heritage site, which unites countries, has been transformed into new words and inspiring drawings by the editorial committee in a way that is suitable for children (as well as for adults who are “young at heart”), with the active help of graphic designer Julia Stern. The OUV - including that of Baden bei Wien - is in itself an elusive concept with predetermined criteria, authenticity and integrity (kind of “wholeness”) conditions, which also include legal standards and precautions for protection management. In this book, however, the authors managed to break down the OUV into its core messages with admirable ease: In seven sections, they present the so-called “attributes” that characterize the special features of this spa town as a World Heritage site and thus also contribute to the town's own identity vis-à-vis the other ten spa towns at this World Heritage Site.
Readers are immersed in the history and special features of the town: First, the basis of the special significance of Baden bei Vienna, the 14 sulphur springs (including their intense smell), is described. They have been the “yellow gold” for the town and its inhabitants for around 2000 years, since Roman times. However, Baden's special value is not only due to the hot springs, but also to the spa guests who give the town its special flair: The following chapter “Never boring” conveys life in the town, which was decisively shaped by the spa guests and also led to social innovations. The Marienkindergarten, for example, was one of the first kindergartens in Austria. The constant presence of members of the imperial family also guaranteed the highest standards in the built infrastructure: villas, parks, theaters and spa houses designed by famous architects have survived to the present day. Today, they form the “architectural backbone” of the city and thus of the World Heritage property. The book also points out another special feature of the city: Innovations in technology, such as streetcars, electric lighting, telephones and even a kind of “convertible roof” at the open-air theater, caught on faster in Baden than elsewhere. Exercise therapy, to which a separate chapter is devoted in the book, was also part of the spa stay: In addition to a large number of parks, many walking paths were laid out, which - with varying degrees of difficulty - lead into the Vienna Woods and even give rise to alpine feelings.
The transfer of technology in such a competitive field as the spa industry is a chapter in itself. In this context, espionage also found its way into Baden: the so-called “spy in bathing trunks” was apparently none other than Tsar Peter the Great: At any rate, during his visit to the Herzogsbad in 1698, he was inspired to have thermal springs searched for in Russia too. Of course, most of the guests did not come to Baden for espionage activities, but rather to enjoy the social hustle and bustle, as can be seen in the chapter “Center of the World”. The presence of the Austrian imperial family, the wider aristocracy and leading figures from politics, business and science was not to be missed by artists, and Baden rose to prominence in the field of music in particular (e.g. Ludwig van Beethoven, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Josef Lanner and Johann Strauss resided in the town). Beethoven wrote his ninth symphony in Baden, establishing a connection between Baden and the European anthem. And even during the First World War, Baden maintained its prominent position in world history when Austria's last emperor, Karl I, had the seat of the army supreme command established there.
The last chapter, “The spa town as a UNESCO World Heritage site”, was a challenge, as it served to convey the normative principles and global processes of what UNESCO World Heritage actually means, how a place achieves this globally recognized honour and what tasks the World Heritage site and its “World Heritage community” are responsible for once it has been inscribed on the World Heritage List. This chapter illustrates the years of successful cooperation to “keep together” eleven World Heritage components (parts of an entire World Heritage site) in seven countries under the strict supervision of UNESCO. However, UNESCO was probably “over-embellished” here when the role of UNESCO is emphasized on page 64: But neither did “[UNESCO] ... make the town [Baden] a World Heritage site”, nor “[were] the members of UNESCO [...] then immediately in agreement.” In the case of this World Heritage property, too, it was of course the intergovernmental “World Heritage Committee” (which always points out that it is an independent body from UNESCO and that UNESCO has to serve as its secretariat, as stipulated in the World Heritage Convention) that made the inscription on the World Heritage List. Moreover, it took years to convince the Committee (and not UNESCO) of the World Heritage quality of the spas, as the Committee had postponed the Czech Republic's application to inscribe the Luhačovice Spa on the List in 2008 with the request “that the State Party undertake a more detailed study, in particular a global study of the spa industry”. (Decision 32 COM 8B.30, https://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/1491/ )
But these efforts have paid off - since 2021, the eleven spas in seven countries have been World Heritage sites. Although, as the book shows, these places represent different focuses, they impressively illustrate the European shape of the spa industry in line with the EU's motto “United in Diversity”.
But what is the “Kurstadtkipferl” that gave the book its title? The book is critical of this Baden specialty, stating that it was quite capable of upsetting the diet of spa guests! This is all too understandable and comprehensible for the reviewer, who had the opportunity to attend the book presentation in Baden in October 2024, where this delicacy was offered to the public!
With the publication “Badespaß & Kurstadtkipferl”, the World Heritage managers of the city of Baden have set a new standard in the child-friendly communication of the World Heritage, which fully supports the intentions of the World Heritage idea. It is to be hoped that this book will not only find enough enthusiastic readers, but that it will also inspire other World Heritage sites and serve as a model for them.
Peter Strasser
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