Arnold Rikli
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Arnold Rikli | |
|---|---|
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| Born | 13 February 1823 |
| Died | 30 April 1906 (aged 83) |
| Nationality | Swiss |
| Occupation | physician |
| Known for | naturism |
Arnold Rikli (13 February 1823 – 30 April 1906) was a Swiss naturopath. Rikli was notable for his natural healing regimens and for his role in making the town of Bled, Slovenia into a health tourism destination in the latter part of the 19th century. Rikli was also a supporter of the so-called Lebensreform (life reform) social movement.
History
[edit]Rikli was born into a wealthy Swiss family as the fourth of ten children. His father was involved with politics and had his own factory. His father's wish was that his sons would inherit his knowledge and ambitions; therefore, he sent Arnold and his brothers Karl and Rudolf to the village of Seebach near Spittal, Austria. There, they built a new factory for leather dyeing. Rikli became very unwell with diarrhea, and he blamed his illness on exposure to chemicals. For purposes of rest and recuperation, he went to Bled in Slovenia in 1852 for the first time. He thrived there.
In search of recovery, he traveled to Bled in 1852, where the fresh air, clean water, and favorable climate aided his healing. Enthralled by the natural surroundings, he moved to Bled permanently in 1854 and, in 1855, founded the Natural Healing Institute for Atmospheric Treatment (Naturheilanstalt für atmosphärische Cur). He abandoned the family business and began promoting his own method of healing on Bled.
Rikli’s therapeutic approach was based on the holistic effects of natural elements: sunlight, fresh air, clean water, physical activity, and simple nutrition. Guests stayed in wooden, well-ventilated huts, walked in light clothing—typically linen trousers and shirts—and underwent treatments involving cold-water dousing, short showers, and exposure to sun and fresh air. Because of their modest attire, locals often described them as “naked,” though they were never completely unclothed. Rikli’s well-known saying was: “Water is good, air is better, but light is best.”[1] He designed numerous walking paths of varying difficulty around Bled, one of which led to Straža Hill, an area that until recently functioned as a winter ski slope and, in summer, a walking trail, fitness path, and toboggan run.
For a long time, it was believed that Rikli did not speak Slovene. However, researcher Vojko Zavodnik disproved this in his work In the Footsteps of Arnold Rikli, which revealed handwritten instructions Rikli had given to his employees in Slovene. Because the majority of his guests came from German-speaking regions, Rikli mostly used German in public communication, and signage in and around the health resort was also in German. Locals referred to him as “Švajcar” (the Swiss) and “the Sun Doctor.”[2]
Rikli created baths, walking paths, hiking paths and housing in Bled. In the year 1895, he built a wooden house and baths in Swiss style and a hospital with his own examination office. Because the word spread across Europe about Rikli's activities, a larger swimming area was constructed in 1899. Besides the people who were looking for healing, Bled started to attract people who wanted to spend their holidays in a healthy and clean environment. The number of visitors started to rise in 1870, after a railway station was built in Lesce. In 1903, Bled was awarded with a gold medal at an international fair of healing places in Vienna. In 1906, Bled was classified among the best tourist destinations in Austro-Hungarian Empire. The healing place was operating until the First World War, but was later abandoned. Rikli received a statue at his 50th healing anniversary. Every year, starting with July, Bled organizes Rikli's sport days and hiking on Rikli's paths. At that time, hikers walk, run and climb on the hills above Bled. Rikli's Villa is under the cultural guidance. As of December 23, 2024, the owner of Villa Rikli is entrepreneur Tim Mitja Zagar, who aims to restore the villa to its former glory as a symbol of Slovenian health tourism.[3]
Arnold Rikli Award
[edit]Since 2016, the Jörg Wolff Foundation in Germany, has awarded annually the Arnold Rikli Prize, endowed with 10,000 euros, for photobiological research in relation to the human organism; the award is under the patronage of the European Society for Photobiology (ESP).[4]
From 1989, the Light Symposium Foundation in Atlanta (USA), awarded the Arnold Rikli Prize, until the foundations' dissolution in 2005, recognizing work that deals with the biological effects of light on humans.[4]
Bibliography
[edit]Rikli's books discussed the theory and practical methods of healing with air, sun and steam baths. The books show a broad spectrum of natural healing places in Bled. Five of the books from the years 1872–1894 are held by the National and University Library of Slovenia. All the books are made out of wooden paper. The National and University Library of Slovenia is the only library which keeps the original books.
Rikli's books are:
- Arnold Rikli: Rikli‛s Bett - und Theildampfbäder, 3. verbesserte Auflage, 1872
- Arnold Rikli: Rikli‛s Bett - und Theildampfbäder, 4. verbesserte Auflage, 1889
- Arnold Rikli: Die Grundlehren der Naturheilkunde (first title "Allgemeine Curregeln") mit besonderer Berücksichtigung der atmosphärischen Cur, verbesserte Aufl., 1890
- Arnold Rikli: Die atmosphärische Kur oder das Lichtluftbad und das Sonnenbad und die Sonne der schärfste Diagnostiker und prognostiker, 4. verbesserte Auflage, 1894
- Arnold Rikli: Die atmosphärische Cur oder die Sonne der schärfste Diagnostiker und Prognostiker. Special Print from "Zeitschrift für Gesundheitspflege und Naturheilkunde", Berlin.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Jain, Mahima A. "The birthplace of modern nature healing". www.bbc.com.
- ^ Zavodnik, Vojko (2018). Po sledeh arnolda riklija [In the Footsteps of Arnold Rikli] (in Slovenian). Bled, Slovenija: Bled : Zavod za kulturo. ISBN 978-961-94602-0-7.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link) - ^ "Riklijeva vila na Bledu dobila novega lastnika, načrti za obnovo so zanimivi" (in Slovenian). Delo. 6 January 2025. Retrieved 6 April 2025.
- ^ a b Jung, E.G.; Bocionek, P.G. (2014-02-01). "25 Jahre Arnold-Rikli-Preis (25 Years of Arnold Rikli Award)" (PDF). Aktuelle Dermatologie (in German) (40). Stuttgart and New York: Georg Thieme Verlag KG: 47–49. doi:10.1055/s-0033-1358950. Retrieved 2021-10-02.
- Robert Jütte. Geschichte der alternativen Medizin: Von der Volksmedizin zu den unkonventionellen Therapien von heute.Verlag C. H. Beck, München 1996 (in German)
- Brian English, Ruth West. Alternativna medicina: Najobsežnejši izbor naravnih načinov zdravljenja. Mladinska knjiga 1988 (in Slovene)
- Lidija Vinkovič. Voda je dobra, zrak boljši, sonce pa najboljše; oglasna priloga FInance. četrtek, 24. junij 2004. stran 33(in Slovene)
- The Environmental Agency of the Republic of Slovenia (Tanja Cegnar. Klimatska terapija: Klimatska zdravilišča in zdravilni učinki klime. 2003) (in Slovene)
- Vlasta Gjura Kaloper. Sončna svetloba je vir življenja in zdravja; članek iz revije Sladkorna.Glasilo Zveze društev diabetikov Slovenije. številka 64. April 2006. stran 13 (in Slovene)
- Hydro therapy (in Slovene)
- National Library Silver Group (in Slovene)
- The Slovene uninon of naturists clubs
- Naturism - Oblečeni v sonce (in Slovene)
- Zdravstveni turizem in Arnold Rikli (in Slovene)
External links
[edit]
Media related to Arnold Rikli at Wikimedia Commons
