Kissingen

KISSINGEN, a town and resort in the northern part of Bavaria, in the province of Lower Franconia. It is situated in a beautiful valley at an altitude of 201 m above sea level, surrounded by mountain spurs and the Thuringian Forest. The climate is mild, with moderate humidity. The average temperature in January is -3.0°, February -0.4°, March +2.7°, April +8.2°, May +12.2°, June +16.6°, July +17.8°, August +17.1°, September +13.3°, October +8.7°, November +2.4°, and December -0.7°. The average barometric pressure is 674 mm. Therapeutic agents include five cold saline springs, rich in free CO₂ and distinguished by the quantity of solid residue, namely: 1. Rakoczy: temperature +10.7°, output up to 115,000 l per day, specific gravity 1.00734, solid components 9.24 per liter; of which: NaCl 5.81, KCl 0.28, LiCl 0.02, CaCl₂ 0.34, CaSO₄ 1.05, Fe(HCO₃)₂ 0.049; free CO₂ 2.058. 2. Pandur: temperature +10.7°, output up to 57,600 l per day, solid components 8.66; of which: NaCl 5.5, KCl 0.24; free CO₂ 2.37. 3. Maxbrunnen: temperature +10.4°, output up to 36,000 l per day, solid components 4.32; of which: NaCl 2.36, KCl 0.31, free CO₂ 2.05. 4. Schönbornsprudel: temperature +19.2°, output up to 1,500,000 l per day, solid components 13.79; of which: NaCl 9.16, KCl 0.35, free CO₂ 1.65. 5. Solsprudel: temperature +18.1°, output up to 1,500,000 l per day, solid components 14.98; of which: NaCl 10.44, KCl 0.25, free CO₂ 0.80. The water from the first three springs is used internally, and the latter two for baths. With the help of graduation towers, brine is obtained from the latter two springs, which is added to the baths. Laxative water (Kissinger Bitterwasser) is also prepared from it. Furthermore, peat mud therapy and inhalations are used in Kissingen. Kissingen possesses a large number of sanatoriums, hotels, boarding houses, a series of bath buildings, physical-mechano-therapeutic and X-ray offices, inhalation rooms, etc. Main indications: diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and liver, obesity, diabetes and gout, diseases of the heart and blood vessels, organs of movement, gynecological diseases, catarrh of the respiratory tract, anemia, neurasthenia, scrofula, rickets, and others. Kissingen is a well-appointed resort. Every year, over 30,000 visitors arrive. It features a beautiful park and surroundings, a Kursaal, theater, library, and grounds for games and sports. The season is from April to October. Lit.: Dapper C., Untersuchungen über die Wirkung des Kissinger Mineralwassers auf den Stoffwechsel des Menschen, Berl. klinische Wochenschr., 1895, No. 31; Dietz W., Die Kurmittel Kissingens bei den Erkrankungen der Atmungsorgane, Kissingen, 1911; Jentzsch F., Die Radioaktivität der Kissingener Heilquellen, Arch. f. physikal. Methoden u. Technik, B. III, 1908; Silbergleit H., Die Indikationen Kissingens, Zeitschr. f. Balneologie, B. I, 1908. A. Goldfeil.