The Rommenhöller Memorial in Herste

Nestled in the gentle hilly landscape near Bad Driburg, the Rommenhöller Memorial is a quiet place of remembrance and history. It invites you to pause, enjoy nature and discover the traces of the past. The spacious grounds with their impressive avenue of lime trees, the expressive fountain house and sweeping views of the countryside combine history and landscape in a special way. This is where the heritage of the carbon dioxide industry and the tranquillity of nature meet - a place to linger, reflect and experience.

The memorial was erected in 1932 on the southern outskirts of Herste in honor of the entrepreneur Carl Gustav Rommenhöller (1853-1931). It stands on a historic site: The town's first carbon dioxide well was located here - in a geologically significant area with numerous mineral springs and rich carbon dioxide deposits on the edge of the Eggegebirge mountains.

The Westfalia-Sprudel was tapped as early as 1894 and supplied large parts of the German Empire with carbon dioxide. The Carl-Gustav-Sprudel, where the memorial stands today, followed in 1925. The carbon dioxide produced was sold by C. G. Rommenhöller AG and transported onwards by rail. With its plants in Germany and abroad, Rommenhöller was regarded as a pioneer in the industry. Guests from Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Luxembourg and England travelled to the inauguration of the memorial.

The approximately half-hectare site is surrounded by agricultural land and is characterized by an approximately 140-metre-long two-row avenue of lime trees that runs in a semicircle towards the Sprudelhaus - the architectural center of the memorial.

The building, made of rough sandstone, stands directly above the mofette of the Carl-Gustav-Sprudel. Designed in an expressionist style with Romanesque and ancient Egyptian echoes, the folded tent roof with copper cover is particularly striking. Above the entrance on the east side is a raised portal with two bronze plaques and the stone inscription: "To the founder of the carbonic acid industry".

A medallion with the portrait of Rommenhöller, designed by the Dutch sculptor Jacob Jan van Goor, adorns the lower plaque. Three more plaques were added later: two on the left-hand side in honor of Paul Werner (1889-1939) and Martin Frank (1886-1944) as well as a portrait medallion of Hans Rommenhöller (1884-1962) on the right, supplemented by the inscription "AD 1984".

The interior of the spa house is simple and functional. Three steps lead up to the secured frame of the former bubbler. The pressure pipe extends above the roof and thus remains visible from the outside - a technical testimony to the once important carbon dioxide production in Herste.