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BUCHINGER Fasten in der Fastenklinik BUCHINGER

Our history

100 years of therapeutic fasting following the buchinger method

Expertise gathered throughout an entire century combined with new research findings have shaped and further developed the BUCHINGER original method. The knowledge of our founder, the first Dr Otto Buchinger, has been added to with alternative therapies and the focus directed more towards the strengthening of self-efficacy. The legacy, the directorship as well as the tradition has been passed successively on to the next generation. Together, we have made the BUCHINGER original method what it is today – a contemporary form of a healthy lifestyle.

For more than 100 years – and now in our fourth generation – at BUCHINGER we have been treating our guests with our method, our expertise and our passion when fasting with us.

1878–1902

Otto Buchinger
The early years

The first Otto Buchinger is regarded as a pioneer of medical therapeutic fasting and develops the original BUCHINGER method. Born in Darmstadt in 1878, his father is a civil servant and encourages him to study law. Otto Buchinger, who even from an early age has been interested in medicine, follows his father’s wishes. For one semester he studies law at the university of Gießen. In the end, driven by his longing to study medicine, he changes subjects and graduates in medicine. As a military doctor he then joins the Imperial German Navy working at various locations.

Otto Buchinger I. – die frühen Jahre

World War I

1917–1919

The birth of therapeutic fasting

In 1917 his suffering begins. After having tonsilitis which doesn’t fully heal, he develops joint rheumatism. His movements become rigid and daily life is dictated by pain. The consequences of his illness eventually lead to a devastating stroke of fate. He is discharged from military service and is unable to continue to follow his passion of helping other people. Attempts to treat his condition with known therapies from conventional medicine are not successful.

For two years Dr Otto Buchinger suffers from the consequences of his illness. Disappointed by the powerlessness of conventional treatments, he decides to take a different route and try a new treatment method – predominantly a period of fasting. At the clinic of his colleague, Dr Gustav Riedlin, in Freiburg, he abstains from solid foods for three weeks, practices mindfulness, and listens to – and reflects on – the signals his body is sending. His efforts are rewarded. The pains subside, his movements become more fluid again and the rheumatism in his joints has been treated successfully. He announces his cure and the miracles with these words: “I experienced a primordial change in spirit! My limbs were released.”

BUCHINGER Klinik – die Geburt des Heilfastens
1920

Founding of the fasting clinic

Amazed and filled with enthusiasm by the success of his personal treatment, he examines the methodology and researches the history of therapeutic fasting. He aims to pass on the knowledge gained and enable other people to be part of this as yet relatively unknown and almost mysterious methodology and to continue to follow this “silver bullet of the healing arts”. In Witzenhausen, his place of residence at this time, he founds the Dr Otto Buchinger spa. Here, he combines the relationship between mental and physical health into a holistic approach. He lays the foundation for the original method as it is still practised today. The conditions of his guests include physical disorders such as arthritis and metabolic disorders, as well as psychosomatic disorders such as depressive moods. He integrates these new findings – discovered in part through his own personal experience – into the BUCHINGER method and develops it continuously.

BUCHINGER Klinik – Gründung der Fastenklinik

The National Socialist party seizes power

1935

The move to Bad Pyrmont

The numerous spas, the picturesque surroundings and the Weser Uplands – even in those days Bad Pyrmont is well known as a spa town and welcomes many health-conscious visitors. Moving the fasting clinic to Bad Pyrmont underlines the balance between physical and mental healing. The BUCHINGER fasting clinic finds its new home directly on the main Hauptallee road. The spa gardens are in the immediate vicinity of the new premises, which also have views of the castle. Therapeutic fasting is now able to continue in a larger and more modern form. Doctors, physiotherapists and artists join the team and together they support and care for the guests of the clinic on their path to successful treatment.

BUCHINGER Fastenklinik – Umzug nach Bad Pyrmont

World War II

1953

The tradition begins

After 33 years, the first Dr Otto Buchinger hands over the directorship of the fasting clinic. His son of the same name takes over the leadership of the clinic and continues to practise the methodology his father introduced. He also shapes and forms the therapeutic fasting method and introduces new findings from modern medicine. The company history becomes family history and the BUCHINGER fasting clinic now becomes the Dr Otto Buchinger clinic.

BUCHINGER Fastenklinik – die Tradition beginnt
1965

The new build of today's headquarters

After 30 years, the Dr Otto Buchinger clinic moves from the Hauptallee location to the foot of the Bomberg mountain. Next to the forest and amidst the Weser Uplands is where the BUCHINGER original method is now practiced. The guests enjoy calm and the idyllic natural location. Forest walks, daylight and fresh air become part of the therapy methods. The surroundings and physical activities become an essential part of the holistic approach that makes the original method so unique.

BUCHINGER Fastenklinik – Neubau des heutigen Stammsitzes
1988

The journey into the new millenium

Dr Andreas Buchinger, who like his forefathers decided to study medicine, follows in his father’s footsteps and assumes the directorship of the Dr Otto Buchinger clinic. The clinic enjoys increasing demand and the growing interest in therapeutic fasting. More and more, guests visit the BUCHINGER fasting clinic in order to undergo the therapeutic fasting programme and to discover the successful treatment method. His wife Evelyn is a great support to Dr Andreas Buchinger and together they plan to build an extension to the clinic.

BUCHINGER Fastenklinik – Weg ins neue Jahrtausend
1993

The opening of the extension

Blumenhaus (House of Flowers), the new extension to the Dr Otto Buchinger clinic, opens its doors. Elegantly furnished rooms and suites create a calming atmosphere. Guests are supported individually through the fasting process and the newly gained space provides new opportunities and increases the number of treatment places. Guests from all over the world find their way to Bad Pyrmont. Blumenhaus marks the beginning of a new and greater dimension of the family tradition that goes far beyond the borders of Germany.

BUCHINGER Fastenklinik – Eröffnung des Anbaus
2017

The 4th generation takes over

Dr Verena Buchinger-Kähler is the first woman to assume the medical directorship of the BUCHINGER clinic. As the daughter of Dr Andreas Buchinger she continues her forefathers’ legacy together with her husband Christian Kähler. The BUCHINGER method is developed further as the “silver bullet of the healing arts” and aligned with modern standards and requirements with the help of new approaches. Dr Verena Buchinger-Kähler introduces increasingly natural therapies and alternative treatment methods to the clinic. Together with her husband Christian Kähler, she plans the building of the new BUCHINGER headquarters in order to move the parent clinic and its therapeutic fasting methods confidently into the future.

BUCHINGER Fastenklinik – die vierte Generation übernimmt