Heribert Stork leaves a life’s work with the Westfalen-Therme and the Vital-Hotel in Bad Lippspringe, the Ostsee Therme with Hotel Gran Belveder on Timmendorfer Strand, the Sachsen-Therme in Leipzig and the Rhein-Main-Therme with the Vital Hotel near Frankfurt couldn’t be more impressive.
Heribert Stork was born on November 17, 1943 in Brakel-Riesel during World War II. He grew up on his parents’ farm, graduated from high school and studied civil engineering at the Technical University of Hanover. After graduating, he moved to Oman, where he gained his first professional experience in the implementation of motorway construction projects. After the sudden death of his father, he came back to set up his own engineering office for water and road construction in Paderborn in October 1973 after stops in Dortmund and Cologne. He married his wife Regina, who gave birth to their two children, Nadine and Robin.
In the following years, the engineering consultancy Stork became one of the most successful engineering offices in the Paderborn, Gütersloh and Höxter districts, as the Stork Group reports.
Heribert Stork also became politically active in Paderborn, won his constituency in Schloss Neuhaus from scratch and sat for a term as CDU councilor in the City Council of Paderborn.
Heribert Stork prepared two general drainage plans for the city of Paderborn, in which the foundation for today’s drainage convenience for the citizens of the city was laid.
As a visionary and pioneer, he developed the idea of a leisure pool in the mid-1980s. The Westfalen-Therme was to be built in Paderborn, where he was looking for a suitable location with administration and politics. After a rejection by the city administration, he explored alternatives in Bad Lippspringe and was welcomed there with open arms. In the spring of 1987 the Westfalen-Therme was officially opened. “Contrary to many doubters, the Westfalen-Therme was an outstanding success and is considered to be one of the first facilities of its kind in Germany,” says the group.
Heribert Stork continued to develop the concept of his bathing, sauna and leisure facilities and opened the Ostsee-Therme in Scharbeutz in 1992, the Sachsen-Therme in Leipzig in 1998 and the Rhein-Main-Therme in Hofheim am Taunus in 2001.
At the same time, he developed the idea of a hotel at his thermal baths. Here, too, he did pioneering work and was one of the first to implement the concept of a resort in Germany.
In 1997 the 4-star Vital Hotel in Bad Lippspringe was created, in 2008 the 5-star superior Hotel Gran Belveder in Scharbeutz and in 2015 the 4-star Vital Hotel in Hofheim am Taunus near Frankfurt.
Heribert Stork was very pleased that the concepts worked and that his “Stork Group” became one of the most successful companies in the German bathing, leisure and wellness sector.
He never forgot his home in Paderborn. One example is the Padercafé, which Heribert Stork built to give Paderborn residents who are looking for relaxation a chance to stop after their walk around Lake Padersee.
Heribert Stork always acted with great foresight. He introduced his son Robin and his long-time employee Norbert Leibold to the management and gradually transferred the management of the operational business to them.
“Heribert Stork has inspired his employees for decades and has offered many millions of thermal baths and hotel guests in Germany an opportunity for leisure and relaxation. He lives on forever in his life’s work ”, it concludes.
–
