Selters is a German

brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...

of natural

mineral water Mineral water is water from a mineral spring that contains various minerals, such as salts and sulfur compounds. Mineral water may usually be still or sparkling (carbonated/effervescent) according to the presence or absence of added gases. T ...

sourced from wells in the area of Selters in

Hesse Hesse (, , ) or Hessia (, ; german: Hessen ), officially the State of Hessen (german: links=no, Land Hessen), is a state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt. Two other major historic cities are ...

, at the

Taunus The Taunus is a mountain range in Hesse, Germany, located north of Frankfurt. The tallest peak in the range is '' Großer Feldberg'' at 878 m; other notable peaks are '' Kleiner Feldberg'' (825 m) and '' Altkönig'' (798 m). The Taunus range spa ...

mountains. The water has been known since the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...

and famous as a natural soda water because of its high concentration of

sodium bicarbonate Sodium bicarbonate ( IUPAC name: sodium hydrogencarbonate), commonly known as baking soda or bicarbonate of soda, is a chemical compound with the formula NaHCO3. It is a salt composed of a sodium cation ( Na+) and a bicarbonate anion ( HCO3− ...

, "soda". The Selters water also contains raised levels of

calcium Calcium is a chemical element with the symbol Ca and atomic number 20. As an alkaline earth metal, calcium is a reactive metal that forms a dark oxide-nitride layer when exposed to air. Its physical and chemical properties are most similar ...

chloride The chloride ion is the anion (negatively charged ion) Cl−. It is formed when the element chlorine (a halogen) gains an electron or when a compound such as hydrogen chloride is dissolved in water or other polar solvents. Chloride s ...

magnesium Magnesium is a chemical element with the symbol Mg and atomic number 12. It is a shiny gray metal having a low density, low melting point and high chemical reactivity. Like the other alkaline earth metals (group 2 of the periodic ...

sulfate The sulfate or sulphate ion is a polyatomic anion with the empirical formula . Salts, acid derivatives, and peroxides of sulfate are widely used in industry. Sulfates occur widely in everyday life. Sulfates are salts of sulfuric acid and many ...

and

potassium Potassium is the chemical element with the symbol K (from Neo-Latin '' kalium'') and atomic number19. Potassium is a silvery-white metal that is soft enough to be cut with a knife with little force. Potassium metal reacts rapidly with atmos ...

ions An ion () is an atom or molecule with a net electrical charge. The charge of an electron is considered to be negative by convention and this charge is equal and opposite to the charge of a proton, which is considered to be positive by conven ...

. The water is naturally

carbonated Carbonation is the chemical reaction of carbon dioxide to give carbonates, bicarbonates, and carbonic acid. In chemistry, the term is sometimes used in place of carboxylation, which refers to the formation of carboxylic acids. In inorganic ch ...

, over 250 mg/L, but sold in both sparkling and still versions. The name and the water of Selters are the prototype of seltzer, a generic term for soda water in the United States.

History

The Romans used the wells and may have given the origin of the current name Selters, either from la, aqua saltare (water jump) or la, saltrissa (salt rising), but both possibilities present linguistic uncertainties. The same name is also used in some other places in Germany with mineral wells. The wells are mentioned already in 772 in documents at the nearby monasteries in

Fulda Fulda () (historically in English called Fuld) is a town in Hesse, Germany; it is located on the river Fulda and is the administrative seat of the Fulda district (''Kreis''). In 1990, the town hosted the 30th Hessentag state festival. Histor ...

and

Lorsch Lorsch is a town in the Bergstraße district in Hessen, Germany, 60 km south of Frankfurt. Lorsch is well known for the Lorsch Abbey, which has been named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Geography Location Lorsch lies about 5 km wes ...

. In the 16th century under the rule of

Johann von der Leyen Johann von der Leyen (1510–1567) was the Archbishop-Elector of Trier from 1556 to 1567. Biography Johann von der Leyen was born in Saffig in 1510, the son of Bartholomäus von der Leyen, chancellor of the Archbishopric of Cologne, and his wi ...

, the water from the wells gained international fame. Selters has been a popular as a

spa resort A destination spa or health resort is a resort centered on a spa, such as a mineral spa. Historically, many such spas were developed at the location of natural hot springs or mineral springs; in the era before modern biochemical knowledge and ...

, and the water has been used for health effects, as well as for its taste. The water has been exported in large quantities for many centuries; in 1787 J. F. Westrumb reported that over a million Selters bottles were exported all around the world. The Selters bottle was common during the 17th to 19th centuries, made of stoneware, not to confuse with the modern "

seltzer bottle The soda siphon (sometimes spelled syphon), also known as the seltzer bottle or siphon seltzer bottle, is a device for storing and dispensing carbonated beverages (typically carbonated water) while maintaining the internal pressure, thereby preven ...

" i.e. a soda siphon. Artificial "selters waters" with added minerals have been created to make competition, thus helping to establish the fame of the original water as an international reference of soda water, e.g. by

Torbern Bergman Torbern Olaf (Olof) Bergman (''KVO'') (20 March 17358 July 1784) was a Swedish chemist and mineralogist noted for his 1775 ''Dissertation on Elective Attractions'', containing the largest chemical affinity tables ever published. Bergman was the ...

, who made thorough analyses of mineral waters and in 1775 presented how to make

carbonated water Carbonated water (also known as soda water, sparkling water, fizzy water, club soda, water with gas, in many places as mineral water, or especially in the United States as seltzer or seltzer water) is water containing dissolved carbon dioxide gas, ...

to mimic genuine mineral waters.Torbern Bergman's biography
. The production at the famous main well in Niederselters was terminated in 1999, but production continues at a well in the nearby (25 km away) village of Selters-Löhnberg, in commercial use for almost 200 years, as well as at the competing one in Oberselters. There is a Selters water museum in Niederselters. The words "Selters", "Selterwasser" or "Selter" have become synonyms for all kinds and brands of mineral water primarily in north and eastern Germany.

References

External links

{{NIE Poster, Selters Water * http://www.selters.de/ The Selters water production plant * http://www.oberselters.de/ The Oberselters water production plant Bottled water brands Carbonated water German drinks German brands Mineral water

History

See also

References

External links