Heilsamer Brunnen Leobersdorf

The Heilsamer Brunnen stands beside the L 4040 road towards Sollenau in Leobersdorf, a market town in Lower Austria’s Baden district. The spring’s water was once believed to cure illness, drawing pilgrims from nearby villages. A small wooden chapel was built over the source in the 17th century, later replaced by a stone structure in 1855. The site’s fame grew after a blind woman reportedly regained her sight and the son of Peter von Braun recovered from an eye disease. Annual processions on 4 May kept the tradition alive through the centuries. The water was analysed between 1959 and 1966 by Rudolf Hock, who found it similar to Vöslau mineral water. Tests showed a steady temperature between 11.3 and 15.2 °C and a hardness of 16 °dH. The spring’s flow stopped in 1970, and a nearby pumping station now supplies water to the site. Records from 1466 first mention the spring as the ‘Heylige Prunn’, though Bronze Age remains hint at older use. After storms destroyed earlier chapels, a permanent stone chapel was consecrated in 1855. Visitors today find a quiet chapel beside the road, rebuilt after wartime damage in 1945. The stone walls enclose a small altar under a tiled roof, with a bell added long ago. A low stone basin marks where the spring once flowed. The surrounding area is peaceful farmland, with Leobersdorf’s centre a short walk away. Pilgrims still light candles and leave small offerings, keeping the old custom alive. The site offers a glimpse of Lower Austrian piety and the slow passage of centuries.