From the early days of tourism in the area, paths alongside water held a special attraction. Aspiring spa resorts advertised their fresh mountain air and cool, clean water.

Until the catastrophic floods of 1882, the river Rienz ran unchecked through the Lamprechtsburg Gorge. The Morberg Pond in Reischach was also considered an attraction. The town improvement society erected fountains and restored springs when they threatened to drain away. Good drinking water was offered by what was known as the Kresswasserl at the Waldheim inn. There were springs along the route from Reischach to Schartl and on the Ochsenalpe and in several locations as far as Reischach.

However, the culture of taking the waters was not a new invention. The origins of the popular Tyrolean “Bauernbadln” (farmer’s baths) stretched back in some cases to Roman times. Important spa baths in the immediate vicinity of Bruneck were to be found in Mühlbach and Neuhaus bei Gais. Added to these were Bad Bergfall and Bad Schartl bei Geiselsberg and Bad Ramwald above Montal. 

In Bruneck itself, in around 1900, the municipal swimming school on the Rienz quay welcomed people for bathing and swimming. Private bathing facilities were available in Schifferegger’s Hotel Bruneck, in the Hotel Post and in the Stemberg brothers’ brewery.

Running water was not available as a matter of course in homes. It was only after 1893 that there was a comprehensive water supply system in Bruneck.