His eventful life story began in 1821, on 17 May 1821 to be precise, when Sebastian Kneipp saw the light of day as the son of a Bavarian weaver. Early on, he expressed the wish to become a clergyman. During his studies, he contracted tuberculosis - still an incurable disease at the time. By chance, he came across a book by the doctor Johann Siegmund Hahn about the healing power of cold water. Impressed by the results cited in the book, Sebastian Kneipp began a self-experiment in the cold Danube. A short, cold bath followed by a sprint: after several applications, his health steadily improved until he was finally completely cured at the age of 31. Sebastian Kneipp then deepened his knowledge of the healing power of water and began to treat patients himself. He even achieved healing success with his water treatments on a herd of cattle suffering from foot-and-mouth disease. In the course of his research, he developed a health concept for mind and soul that is still used today.