1980 Hofmann Pictorial Map of (West) German Health Spas (Herzbäder)

A scarce pictorial map of West Germany produced c. 1980 by the firm Gebrüder Hofmann for the pharmaceutical company Byk Gulden. The map highlights the locations of health spas or resorts (Bäder), specifically 'heart spas' (Herzbäder), throughout the country.

A Closer Look

West Germany is displayed, along with portions of France, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, and East Germany (not labelled). Towns and cities are labelled throughout, along with representative illustrations, such as the imposing cathedrals of Aachen, Köln, and Erfurt, the port of Hamburg, and the modern skyline of Berlin. White boxes label the names and locations of health spas, many of them being saltwater and thermal spas. While many of these spa towns developed as destinations in the 18th and 19th centuries, if not earlier, others only became recognized as spa towns in the post-World War II period. The border of the map contains the names of medications, presumably those produced by Byk Gulden.

Publication History and Census

This map was drafted by the Hofmann Brothers (Gebrüder Hofmann) for Byk Gulden, a pharmaceutical company based in Konstanz. It is quite rare; we have been unable to locate any other examples in institutional collections or on the market. The map may have been part of a series, or at least a duo, prepared by the Hofmann Brothers for Byk Gulden (see the 'Rheumatism Spa' map also offered by us).