Bad Kissingen Spa Town

Bad Kissingen is a German spa town in the Bavarian region. Situated to the south of the Rhön Mountains on the Franconian Saale river, it is one of the health resorts, which became famous as a 'Weltbad' in the 19th century. In 2021, the town became part of the transnational UNESCO World Heritage Site under the name 'Great Spa Towns of Europe'.

The town was first documented in the year 801 and was renowned above all for its mineral springs, which are recorded from as early as 823. The town developed to a spa in the 1500s and recorded its first official spa guest in 1520. The town grew to be a fashionable resort in the 19th century, and was extended during the reign of Ludwig I of Bavaria. Crowned heads of state such as Empress Elisabeth of Austria, Tsar Alexander II of Russia and King Ludwig II of Bavaria, who bestowed the 'Bad' on Kissingen in 1883, were among the guests of the spa at this time. Other well-known visitors to the resort included author Leo Tolstoy, composer Gioachino Rossini and artist Adolph von Menzel.

The resort's clientele changed in the 20th century, with ordinary people increasingly replacing nobility as guests. The spa suffered a one-year interruption in 1945, the only closure in its history.

References:

• Wikipedia

Address

Im Luitpoldpark 1, Bad Kissingen, Germany

Details

Founded: 16th century
Category: Historic city squares, old towns and villages in Germany
Historical period: Reformation & Wars of Religion (Germany)