Sächsisches Bademuseum Bad Elster
Museum on the history of the Staatsbad (state spa) Bad Elster with exhibitions on spa culture, healing springs, and peat in the KunstWandelhalle.
About the museum
The Bademuseum Bad Elster was founded in February 1880 and is considered the oldest museum in the Upper Vogtland. After a short time it closed again and remained closed for almost seven decades. From 1950 to 1970 the collection was on display in the Royal Kurhaus.
A friends' association ensured that the museum could reopen in 1993 in the Albert Bad. Shortly afterward it moved to the KunstWandelhalle at the Salzquelle (salt spring), regarded as the origin of the spa town. The Wandelhalle (colonnade) itself was built in the late 1920s in the style of Neue Sachlichkeit (New Objectivity).
After a comprehensive renovation, the museum opened in April 2009 under its present name with a completely redesigned permanent exhibition. It is spread across two levels: upstairs it is about the development of the Staatsbad with its cultural buildings, parks, accommodations, and prominent guests, in the basement about healing springs, peat, and the geological foundations of the cure. In 2021, interactive screens with films and knowledge quizzes were added. The museum is operated by Chursächsische Veranstaltungs GmbH.
Highlights
- Exhibition in the spring building of the historic Salzquelle
- Rotunda with the history of the Staatsbad
- Basement on healing springs, peat, and geology
- Interactive media stations and knowledge quizzes
Permanent exhibitions
- Elsters Glanz – Tour in the rotunda through the development of the Staatsbad – from cultural buildings and parks to famous spa guests, with media stations.
- Quellen der Gesundheit – The basement is about healing springs, peat baths, and the geological foundations of the cure, complemented by interactive quiz stations.
- Founded
- 1880
- Operated by
- Chursächsische Veranstaltungs GmbH
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €3.50 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €3Guests with a spa card (Kurkarte), school pupils, trainees, students, people with severe disabilities |
| Children & teens | €2free up to age 6 · Children aged 7 to 14 €2.00 |
| Visitors with disabilities | €3Reduced admission for people with severe disabilities |
| Students & apprentices | €3 |
Accessibility
- Partially wheelchair accessible
- Elevator: no information
- Accessible restroom
- Accessible parking: no information
- Service dogs welcome: no information
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
Entrance via a short ramp (16% gradient, 1 m) and a 4.5 cm step inside; accessible restroom reached via another ramp (11%, 5 m).
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 6 |
|---|
- Hands-on stations
Interactive screens with films and knowledge quizzes for children and adults.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Vogtlandbahn to Bad Elster station (approx. 2.5 km outside the town) or Adorf station; bus lines V-9 (Plauen–Oelsnitz–Adorf–Bad Elster), V-26, V-27, and V-30 to Bad Elster.
By car
Paid parking · 8-min walk to the entrance
"Zentrum" parking garage at the Albert Bad (paid, approx. 450 spaces, 8 minutes on foot); free "NaturTheater" parking lot at the entrance to town (15 minutes on foot).
By car via the A72, exit Plauen-Süd, then about 20 km on the B92 to Bad Elster.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
Plan your visit
| School programs | yes |
|---|---|
| Good to know | Educational programs for school classes are arranged individually with the museum. |
