1. Introduction


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The building complex "Hundertwasser in den Wiesen" was designed for property developer Wolfgang Wachendorff (Bad Soden) as a condominium of 22 units and built with a final configuration of 17 units.

The building comprises both a new structure, the Hundertwasser-Haus per se and a historic structure, the first bath house of the spa town of Bad Soden, which has been incorporated into the design. The Hundertwasser building is rather spectacular in its own way and certainly unique in the area. Some of the heritage management issues surrounding the structure are very much applicable to the heritage debate world-wide.

As will be shown, the majority of the Hundertwasser buildings are remodelling existing buildings. The Bad Soden example, however, was designed from the bottom up and thus is not constrained by preexisting structures.

Left:
Figure 1.1. The Hundertwasser building seen from the south-west. (Photo: Dirk H.R.Spennemann 1996)

The setting of the structure is very prominent, at the bottom of a valley and a focal point of two axes of public garden space, the 'Quellenpark" and the "Wilhelmspark', spaces in which many of Bad Soden's mineral springs occur. These springs made Bad Soden one of the popular spa and bath spots in the 19th century, although well eclipsed by neighbouring Bad Homburg, favoured by the Royal families of Europe.

New age mythological concepts about the sanctity of the mineral springs and the healing powers of the "holy waters" (according to architect/designer Hundertwasser) have been incorporated into the structure.

Bad Soden is what some local residents would call a 'sleepy hollow' located at the foothills of the Taunus Range, a town of some 10,000 people, some 40 commuter train minutes from the banking centre of Frankfurt am Main, in Central Germany.

Bad Soden is a spa town, owing to its mineral springs, but its significance in the health industry, like most spa towns, has declined, especially in comparison to neighbouring, more famous competitors, such as Bad Homburg. The proximity to Frankfurt and the recent rise of Frankfurt to one of Europe's pre-eminent banking centres has meant that property prices in all surrounding areas, but especially at the foothills of the Taunus, have skyrocketed. This has brought about a change in population demographics and a change in the attitude of the population.

This document forms part of :
Spennemann, Dirk H.R. (1996) Hundertwasser Wohnen in den Wiesen". Art, Architecture and Heritage in Bad Soden, Germany. A hypermedia resource. Johnstone Centre of Parks, Recreation and Heritage, Charles Sturt University, Albury NSW, Australia. URL: http://life.csu.edu.au/~dspennem/Varia/Hundertwasser/100W_Start.html