A day like the sea
Five graduation buildings provide a fresh sea breeze in Bad Nauheim.
Graduation Buildings
The "dark giants" are prominent features of the cityscape. Cool, slightly salty air blows around the large facilities. When you breathe in near them, you immediately feel a pleasant effect on your respiratory tract. But how do the graduation buildings actually work?
The graduation buildings were once used for salt extraction. They date from the 18th century, a time when the Nauheim salt works was one of the most modern salt factories in Europe. Then as now, the process is the same: the salty water (brine) from the spring is pumped to the top of the graduation buildings. There it slowly flows down the up to ten-metre high walls of blackthorn bundles. The wind and sun cause part of the water to evaporate and the salt content increases. The fine salty droplets that are created in the evaporation process and blown away by the wind are then perceived as a fresh sea breeze.
Due to the realization that the salt crystals in the air (aerosols) have a positive effect on our health, the five remaining graduation buildings in Bad Nauheim were given their present purpose as open-air inhalatories
Places with moments of happiness
In summer the graduation buildings are the perfect place to escape the heat. In the morning and evening hours it is especially beautiful when the light of the sun breaks into the millions of water drops. Then, with a little luck, you can even discover a rainbow.
Enjoy the spectacle from one of the numerous benches or loungers and switch off from everyday life. This is particularly successful in one of the beach chairs in the health garden.
Facts & Figures
0 Graduation buildings
These have been preserved in the city area until today. In the 18th century, 23 graduation buildings with 7 water wheels and 2 windmills were still in use here.
0 Meters
This is the total length of the 5 graduation buildings. They are the oldest and second longest structures in Germany.
0 Percent
Salty water has a salt content of only 3 percent. This is increased to 22 percent by the evaporation process at the graduation structures.
Activities at the graduation buildings
