Rudolf-Stollen

Radonstollen Bad Kreuznach


Useful Information

Location: Bad Kreuznach.
(49.839555, 7.851429)
Open: only during medical treatment
Fee: n/a
Classification: SubterraneaRock Mine MineRadontherapy porphyr mine
Light: LightIncandescent
Dimension:  
Guided tours: n/a
Photography:  
Accessibility:  
Bibliography:  
Address: Kur-und Salinenbetriebe der Stadt Bad Kreuznach, Horst Lunkenheimer, Tel: +49-671-8000
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then.
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History

1904 radioactivity discovered in the springs of Bad Kreuznach by the apothecary Dr. Karl Aschoff.
1911 Dr. Karl Aschoff proved the existence of a high amount of radon in the Rudolf-Stollen.
1912 Inhalatorium (place to inhale the gas) built..

Geology

The Rudolf-Stollen (Rudolf adit) was built to mine porphyr, a reddish stone used for sculptures, furniture and paperweights. This volcanic rock contains high amounts of radon which accumulate in the adit.

Description

The history of radon-balneology, the usage of natural radon gas for medical purposes, is connected very closely with the history of the Bad Kreuznach spa. Since the discovery of the radioactivity in 1904, huge parts of the medical history of this therapy was written in Bad Kreuznach.

Bad Kreuznach is the only place in Germany, where the inhalation of radon gas is used for medical treatment. It is by far not the only one in the world, but one of the most important!

The prefix Bad in the name of the town means spa in German. It is given to villages with certain medical institutions. Bad Kreuznach deserved this name not only because of the radon adit, but also because of mineral springs which were used even earlier.