With industrialization came many people who wanted to find work in Vienna way back in the 29th century. At that time housing and hygiene were becoming difficult. For this reason, the city administration decided to build public bath houses for the people. These baths were called “Tröpferlbäder” from the word tropfen meaning drop.
The very first public bath and shower in Vienna opened on the 22nd of December 1887 at 7th district, in Mondscheingasse 9. It had separate showers and change rooms.42 for men and 24 for women. These bath houses became a novelty in Europe, drawing 7800 visitors a year. By World War I, 18 public showers had been built.
These public bath houses had 2 categories. In the first category, each person had their own lockable shower unit. These units had their own changing facilities. The second category on the other hand had a common changing room with lockers. Beside it was a common shower room. Both categories had hot and cold showers. The water came from water tanks in the attic. In the later years, separate baths for adults and children were built. Some of which even had tubs.
For many years, Vienna’s public bath houses were the only means of proper hygiene. As time went by, the way of life has improved and fewer people visited these bath houses. Most of them have been closed or converted to saunas, warm baths and bath complexes such as the Amalienbad. Eleven of these public bath houses are still open today.
Image from GlenBledsoe
