Oberstaufen: Where Health Has a History

From Spa Tradition to Health Resort

A Place for Health and Recovery

Oberstaufen is more than the landscape around the Rosenalp. For decades, the town has been associated with a distinctive form of preventive health care and a natural healing method that has shaped its history: the Original Oberstaufen Schroth Cure. What is experienced today as a modern health destination began with a simple idea: good health takes time, rhythm and a place where people can truly come to rest. In Oberstaufen, these ideas are closely tied to the landscape, the climate and a spa tradition that has grown over generations.

A Healthy Setting
Between Mountains and Valley

Oberstaufen lies in the Allgäu Pre-Alps, nestled among mountain meadows, forests and a landscape that combines movement and relaxation in a natural way. The surroundings invite you to step away from everyday life, rediscover your own rhythm and recharge your energy.

Hiking trails, walks and the wide open landscape make movement a natural part of any stay. At the same time, the town offers plenty of opportunities to pause: on a quiet stroll through the town centre, on a bench with a view of the mountains, or in one of the peaceful retreats that define Oberstaufen as a health resort.

Since 1969, Oberstaufen has been recognised as a climatic health resort. In 1991, the town additionally received the title „Schroth Healing Spa“. These accolades do not stand for the climate alone, but for the interplay of a natural environment, health-focused infrastructure and a distinctive spa tradition.

Rest and movement belong together

A health stay in Oberstaufen does not follow the principle of „faster, higher, stronger“. Instead, the focus is on a balanced rhythm: activity and recovery, stimulation and relief, movement and stillness.

This rhythm is an essential part of the Schroth Cure and, at the same time, a guiding principle that continues to shape the town today. The day might begin with a treatment, lead to a hike or a gentle exercise session, and later make room for relaxation, mindful eating and personal reflection.

Health in Oberstaufen is therefore not reduced to a single measure. It emerges from several complementary influences: time spent in nature, sufficient periods of rest, mindful eating, movement and, if desired, professional medical support.

Far From Set in Its Ways

A Tradition That Keeps Evolving

Oberstaufen's health history is shaped by tradition, but it has never stood still. The Schroth Cure remains an important part of the town's identity to this day. At the same time, it has been developed over the decades and adapted to the needs of people today. The original idea of a spa cure has grown into a broader understanding of health. Alongside classic cure treatments, this includes mindful eating, prevention, movement, recovery and qualified medical care. The historical idea remains the starting point, while its modern form reflects a contemporary and individual approach to health.

The History of the Schroth Cure in Oberstaufen

How the Schroth Cure Came to Oberstaufen

In the 19th century, the Silesian carter Johann Schroth developed the Schroth Cure. Its core principle is based on alternating different stimuli and rhythms: a special diet, prescribed fluid intake, Schroth wraps and a balanced interplay of rest and movement.

The first spa established after Johann Schroth opened in 1842 in Niederlindewiese. After the Second World War, the Schroth Cure lost its original home. Dr Hermann Brosig brought the natural healing method to Oberstaufen, where it could be combined with the landscape, the spa concept and the town's existing structures.

With the introduction of the Schroth Cure, the first spa guests arrived in Oberstaufen. Over time, individual cure stays grew into a health culture that shaped the town profoundly and continues to this day.

The History of the Schroth Cure

The Key Milestones at a Glance

19th century: Johann Schroth develops the natural healing method that bears his name in Silesia.
1842: The first spa established after Johann Schroth opens in Niederlindewiese.
1947: Dr Hermann Brosig brings the Schroth Cure to Oberstaufen.
11 January 1949: The first Schroth Cure guest arrives in Oberstaufen.
1969: Oberstaufen is recognised as a climatic health resort.
1991: Oberstaufen additionally receives the title „Schroth Healing Spa“.

Why the Schroth Cure Shaped the Town

The Schroth Cure did not simply add a health offering to Oberstaufen. It also helped shape how the town thinks about health, hospitality and recovery. Cure stays became an established part of local life and laid an important foundation for Oberstaufen's development as a health and holiday destination.

It was never just about individual treatments. What mattered was the combination of time for oneself, a structured daily routine, mindful eating, movement and rest. This very combination made the Schroth Cure an integral part of Oberstaufen's identity.

Discover more about the process and elements of the Schroth Cure in Oberstaufen

From Spa Tradition to Rosenalp

The Rosenalp's Story Is Part of This Development

Oberstaufen did not simply adopt the Schroth Cure. The town developed its own health culture from it. Hosts, spa guesthouses and medical facilities have carried this tradition for decades and adapted it to the expectations of modern guests. The story of the Rosenalp also begins in this environment. The house was originally built as a guesthouse for Schroth Cure guests. Today, it has grown into a modern health resort with a hotel, spa, medical care, nutritional counselling, movement programmes and a range of fasting and wellbeing programmes.

Today: Health Thought of Holistically

What remains when a town and its establishments continue to evolve? The commitment to supporting people in regaining their strength and placing their health consciously at the centre of their lives.

At the Rosenalp, the original idea of the cure lives on in a contemporary yet authentic form. The Schroth Cure is not offered in isolation, but as part of a holistic concept that combines Schroth and fasting cures, mindful nutrition, movement and mental balance, with medical care and spa offerings.

In this way, the Rosenalp connects Oberstaufen's history with the needs of today's guests: tradition builds trust, modern medical expertise provides guidance, and the calm atmosphere of the house creates the space for recovery.

Experience Health at the Rosenalp

If you would like to experience Oberstaufen's health heritage for yourself, the Rosenalp offers a range of ways to take a conscious break. Depending on your personal goals, guests can choose the Schroth Cure, another fasting cure, a medically supervised health programme or individual elements of the Rosenalp concept.

Discover the Original Oberstaufen Schroth Cure
Combine fasting with mindful eating
Make use of medical consultation and prevention
11 January 1949: The first Schroth Cure guest arrives in Oberstaufen.
Integrate movement, mental balance and recovery into everyday life
Enjoy rest and relaxation at the Rosenalp Spa

A Place with History and a Future

Oberstaufen is not only home to the Rosenalp. The town is part of its health story. From Johann Schroth's spa tradition to today's modern health resort, this place embodies an understanding of health built on time, rhythm, nature and personal support.

Anyone who wishes to experience this tradition firsthand will find in the Rosenalp a contemporary setting for a health break in Oberstaufen. Discover which form of time out suits your personal goals, and get to know Oberstaufen as a health resort.

Explore the Rosenalp's offers

Oberstaufen's Health History

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is Oberstaufen known as a health resort?

Oberstaufen is best known as a health resort because of its long-standing tradition of the Schroth Cure. The combination of the Allgäu landscape, the climatic health setting, an established spa infrastructure and the distinctive rhythm of the Schroth Cure has had a lasting influence on the development of the town.

Since 1969, Oberstaufen has been recognised as a climatic health resort. In 1991, it additionally received the title „Schroth Healing Spa“. This connects it to a health history that remains part of Oberstaufen's identity today.

What does the Schroth Cure have to do with Oberstaufen?

The Schroth Cure came to Oberstaufen after the Second World War and developed into a defining part of the town's health and tourism profile. With its landscape, climate and existing infrastructure, the town provided a fitting setting for the cure.

Over the decades, individual cure stays grew into a distinctive health culture. The Schroth Cure shaped not only the offering for guests but also the development of guesthouses, Schroth Cure homes and medical facilities in Oberstaufen.

The Schroth Cure has been offered in Oberstaufen since 1947, when Dr Hermann Brosig brought it to the town. The first Schroth Cure guest arrived on 11 January 1949.

Dr. Hermann Brosig brought the Schroth Cure to Oberstaufen in 1947. On 11 January 1949, the first Schroth Cure guest arrived in the town. These two dates are regarded as important milestones in the history of the Schroth Cure in Oberstaufen.

Over the following decades, the cure became an established part of the town and laid an important foundation for Oberstaufen's profile as a health resort.

Who developed the Schroth Cure?

What does „Schroth Healing Spa“ mean?

„Schroth Healing Spa“ is an officially recognised designation that describes Oberstaufen's special connection with the Schroth Cure. The town received this recognition in 1991.

The designation is linked to the long-standing spa tradition and to the structures established for Schroth Cures in Oberstaufen. It makes clear that the Schroth Cure is not just one offering among others, but a defining part of the town's history.

What makes the Oberstaufen Schroth Cure special?

The Oberstaufen Schroth Cure is based on the interplay of several elements: a vegan, low-salt diet, individually set drinking and dry days, traditional Schroth wraps, and a balanced alternation of rest and movement.

What matters is not any single treatment on its own, but the structured rhythm of the entire cure stay. In Oberstaufen, this historic principle is combined with the natural surroundings, the spa tradition and personal and medical support.

How has the Schroth Cure shaped Oberstaufen?

The Schroth Cure helped shape Oberstaufen as a health and holiday destination. It brought cure guests to the town, influenced the development of guesthouses and Schroth Cure homes, and made health-focused stays an established part of local life.

The combination of rest, movement, mindful eating and personal care also became a hallmark of Oberstaufen. In this way, the Schroth Cure did more than expand the town's health offering. It shaped Oberstaufen's identity as a spa town.

Is Oberstaufen still a health resort today?

Ja. Die Gesundheitsgeschichte Oberstaufens wird bis heute weitergeführt. Neben der traditionellen Schrothkur gehören inzwischen auch Prävention, bewusste Ernährung, Fasten, Bewegung, Regeneration und medizinische Begleitung zum Gesundheitsprofil des Ortes.

Die historische Kurtradition bildet dabei den Ausgangspunkt. Ihre heutige Ausgestaltung orientiert sich an den individuellen Bedürfnissen und Gesundheitszielen der Gäste.

Was hat die Rosenalp mit der Geschichte der Schrothkur in Oberstaufen zu tun?

Die Geschichte der Rosenalp ist eng mit der Oberstaufener Kurtradition verbunden. Das Haus entstand als Pension für Schrothkuren und entwickelte sich im Laufe der Zeit zu einem modernen Gesundheitsresort mit Hotel, Spa, medizinischer Betreuung, Ernährungsberatung, Bewegung und verschiedenen Gesundheitsprogrammen.

Damit steht die Rosenalp beispielhaft für die Entwicklung Oberstaufens: Die traditionelle Oberstaufener Schrothkur bleibt erhalten, wird aber mit zeitgemäßer Gesundheitskompetenz und individuellen Angeboten weitergeführt.