Spa Places : Categories : LAGIS Hessen

In 1907, Siamese king Chulalongkorn (today's Thailand) stayed in Homburg for a one-month spa treatment (23 August to 22 September). He recorded his experiences and his perspectives on the everyday spa society in Homburg in a letter diary, which also gives good insights into the spa routine. The king stayed at Villa Fürstenruhe, an annex of the Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten. His birthday also fell during his spa holiday, on 20 September, on which was celebrated the dedication of a spring in the Kurpark spa park, which was newly drilled for this occasion and named after him. For the architectural design of the spring as well as in gratitude for the recovery experienced in Homburg, Chulalongkorn commissioned a Siamese spring temple in Bangkok. It was finished in 1910 and shipped to Homburg in pieces. Since parts of the shipment were damaged and even lost during transport, assembly in Homburg was delayed until 1914. However, the building was not erected over the Chulalongkorn spring, rather on a small hill, an intersection point of the central viewing angles in the spa park. Chulalongkorn died in 1910, which meant that the dedication ceremony occurred in May 1914 with his son Prince Mahidol in attendance. This laid the groundwork for good relations over the next several decades between Bad Homburg and the Siamese royal family, whose members visited the city again and again (King Prajadhipok in 1934, King Bhumipol in 1960).

Illustrations (titles and descriptions in German)

Einweihung der Chulalongkorn-Quelle an den Salzwiesen
Aufnahme vom 21. September 1907
(Photographs, contemporary)

König Chulalongkorn auf dem Weg zur Einweihung der Chulalongkorn
Aufnahme vom 21. September 1907. Rechts neben dem König Prinz Paribatra
(Photographs, contemporary)

Der thailändische König Chulalongkorn mit Prinzen, Gefolge und Ä
Der König ist in der Bildmitte vorn zu sehen. Ganz links mit weißem Hut: Prinz Paribatra; rechte Reihe v.u.n.o.: Kurdirektor Freiherr von Maltzahn, der Leibarzt des Königs Dr. Böhmer, Dr. von Noorden
(Photographs, contemporary)