Friedrich Eduard Bilz

Friedrich Eduard Bilz (June 12, 1842 - January 30, 1922) was a German naturopath who was a native of Arnsdorf. As a merchant of a "Kolonialwarenladen" (shop offering non-European goods) in Meerane, Bilz became interested in naturopathic medicine. In 1888 he published "Das Neue Naturheilverfahren" (The New Natural Healing) which became very popular and was translated into twelve languages.

In 1895 Bilz founded a health spa at Radebeul, which was soon expanded into a large sanitarium. In the early 20th century he constructed a "Licht-Luft Bad" (a large outdoor swimming pool) at the sanitarium that became known as the "Bilzbad". In 1911 he displayed a "Wellenmaschine" (wave machine) at a hygiene exhibition in Dresden, which was soon installed at Bilzbad during the following year.

In 1902 Bilz created a soft-drink named "Bilz-Brause", which was a beverage consisting of mineral water and citrus juice that was served to patients at the sanitarium. After forming a partnership with local industrialist Franz Hartmann, the name was changed to Sinalco, and the drink was marketed world-wide.

References

* "This article is based on a translation of an article from the German Wikipedia."
* [http://www.promotex.ca/articles/cawthon/2005/2005-04-01_article.html A Century of Flavor, an article on Sinalco]