Bad Schwalbach
Encyclopedia
Bad Schwalbach is the district seat of Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis
, in Hesse
, Germany
.
some 20 km northwest of Wiesbaden
. It lies at 289 to 465 m above sea level
in the Taunus
, along the small river Aar (a tributary of the Lahn
). Over 56 percent of the municipal area is forest.
, in the east on the town of Taunusstein
, in the south on the community of Schlangenbad
, and in the west on the community of Heidenrod
.
and Ramschied.
Bad Schwalbach was first mentioned in a document in 1352 as Langinswalbach. The first reliable report of the mineral spring
s came in 1568 from the Worms
doctor Tabernaemontanus, who also made the place known in his 1581 work Neuw Wasserschatz (New Water Resources). Although Langenschwalbach was utterly destroyed in the Thirty Years' War
, it was quickly rebuilt, and the healing water trade began to blossom. At first, the water would be sold by the jug or barrel throughout Europe
by mail order. Only a few seekers of healing undertook the arduous journey to the Taunus.
The health resort started at the beginning of the 19th century only after the improvement of road conditions through construction. The Aartalbahn (railway) from Wiesbaden
to Langenschwalbach, finished in 1889, also contributed substantially to its founding. Many crowned heads, princes and counts then came to take the waters and visit the gaming parlours where few strict rules applied. After the end of the First World War, the nobility quickly lost importance and thus began the long, drawn-out and somewhat painful transition from a luxury spa to a public one, which only ended after the Second World War.
In a wood near Bad Schwalbach in late 1800 or early 1801, Katharina Pfeifer is said to have born the outlaw Schinderhannes
(Johannes Bückler) a child.
with 50.4% of the vote. Voter turnout was 40.3%.
Bad Schwalbach's only museum was reopened in 2002 with new exhibits. Through its exhibits, it attempts to lead visitors through Bad Schwalbach’s history and its life as a health resort. Among other things, the museum includes the pharmacy
museum, once displayed in private rooms. The pharmacy museum contains the oldest pharmacy in the Taunus (established in 1642), fully furnished. The museum also houses the town archive.
Also worth seeing are the seven fountains and many temples, among them the Elisabethentempel, which was endowed by Elisabeth of Austria-Hungary
(Sissi) while she was staying at the spa in Langenschwalbach. It affords a good view over the town.
North of the town is found Alexander’s Rest – so called even in German
– a sheltered bench which also serves as a memorial to a British spa visitor who was killed at this spot in a bicycle accident in August 1896 (he is buried at the local cemetery).
260, also known as the Bäderstraße (“Bath Road”), as well as Bundesstraßen 54 and 275. The nearest Autobahn interchange
is on the A 66
15 km away. There is also another interchange 20 km away at Idstein on the A 3.
Bad Schwalbach also lies on the Aartalbahn, but there has been no regular passenger service since 1986, only seasonal railway-museum tours by the Nassauische Touristikbahn. Bad Schwalbach is therefore the only Hessian district seat which is no longer served by rail. There have been efforts to have the line reactivated, yet they have all been unsuccessful so far. This line has been labelled a cultural monument and is Hesse's longest building monument – only the Roman Limes
, a land monument, is longer.
The Realschule
(Hufeisenschule) in what was then called Langenschwalbach was attended from 1846 bis 1848 by Nikolaus Otto (1832–1891), the inventor born in nearby Holzhausen an der Haide
who developed the Otto engine
.
Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis
Rheingau-Taunus is a Kreis in the west of Hesse, Germany. Neighboring districts are Limburg-Weilburg, Hochtaunuskreis, Main-Taunus, district-free Wiesbaden, Mainz-Bingen, Rhein-Lahn.-Geography:...
, in Hesse
Hesse
Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Geographic Location
Bad Schwalbach is a spa townSpa town
A spa town is a town situated around a mineral spa . Patrons resorted to spas to "take the waters" for their purported health benefits. The word comes from the Belgian town Spa. In continental Europe a spa was known as a ville d'eau...
some 20 km northwest of Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden is a city in southwest Germany and the capital of the federal state of Hesse. It has about 275,400 inhabitants, plus approximately 10,000 United States citizens...
. It lies at 289 to 465 m above sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
in the Taunus
Taunus
The Taunus is a low mountain range in Hesse, Germany that composes part of the Rhenish Slate Mountains. It is bounded by the river valleys of Rhine, Main and Lahn. On the opposite side of the Rhine, the mountains are continued by the Hunsrück...
, along the small river Aar (a tributary of the Lahn
Lahn
The Lahn River is a -long, right tributary of the Rhine River in Germany. Its course passes through the federal states of North Rhine-Westphalia , Hesse , and Rhineland-Palatinate ....
). Over 56 percent of the municipal area is forest.
Neighbouring communities
Bad Schwalbach borders in the north on the community of HohensteinHohenstein, Hesse
Hohenstein is a community in the Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis in the Regierungsbezirk of Darmstadt in Hesse, Germany.-Location:Hohenstein lies in the western Taunus, on both sides of the river Aar between Limburg and Wiesbaden.-Neighbouring communities:...
, in the east on the town of Taunusstein
Taunusstein
Taunusstein is the biggest town in the Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis in the Regierungsbezirk of Darmstadt in Hesse, Germany. It consists of more than 29,000 inhabitants.- Location :...
, in the south on the community of Schlangenbad
Schlangenbad
Schlangenbad is a community in the Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis in the Regierungsbezirk of Darmstadt in Hesse, Germany.- Location :The community, which is a health resort , lies above sea level in a sheltered location on a valley slope on the southern slope of the Taunus from Wiesbaden, from Eltville...
, and in the west on the community of Heidenrod
Heidenrod
Heidenrod is a community in the Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis in the Regierungsbezirk of Darmstadt in Hesse, Germany. The municipal administration is found in the community’s biggest centre, in Laufenselden.-Location:...
.
Constituent communities
Bad Schwalbach’s Stadtteile are Adolfseck, Bad Schwalbach, Fischbach, Heimbach, Hettenhain, Langenseifen, LindschiedLindschied
Lindschied is a small town near Bad Schwalbach in Hesse, Germany. The town lies in the hills of the Taunus and has about 600 inhabitants.In the time of the Roman Empire, the border-wall called Limes went through Lindschied's boundaries...
and Ramschied.
History
Mineral spring
Mineral springs are naturally occurring springs that produce water containing minerals, or other dissolved substances, that alter its taste or give it a purported therapeutic value...
s came in 1568 from the Worms
Worms, Germany
Worms is a city in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, on the Rhine River. At the end of 2004, it had 85,829 inhabitants.Established by the Celts, who called it Borbetomagus, Worms today remains embattled with the cities Trier and Cologne over the title of "Oldest City in Germany." Worms is the only...
doctor Tabernaemontanus, who also made the place known in his 1581 work Neuw Wasserschatz (New Water Resources). Although Langenschwalbach was utterly destroyed in the Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
, it was quickly rebuilt, and the healing water trade began to blossom. At first, the water would be sold by the jug or barrel throughout Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
by mail order. Only a few seekers of healing undertook the arduous journey to the Taunus.
The health resort started at the beginning of the 19th century only after the improvement of road conditions through construction. The Aartalbahn (railway) from Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden is a city in southwest Germany and the capital of the federal state of Hesse. It has about 275,400 inhabitants, plus approximately 10,000 United States citizens...
to Langenschwalbach, finished in 1889, also contributed substantially to its founding. Many crowned heads, princes and counts then came to take the waters and visit the gaming parlours where few strict rules applied. After the end of the First World War, the nobility quickly lost importance and thus began the long, drawn-out and somewhat painful transition from a luxury spa to a public one, which only ended after the Second World War.
In a wood near Bad Schwalbach in late 1800 or early 1801, Katharina Pfeifer is said to have born the outlaw Schinderhannes
Schinderhannes
Johannes Bückler , nicknamed Schinderhannes, was a German outlaw who orchestrated one of the most fascinating crime sprees in German history. He was born at Miehlen, the son of Johann and Anna Maria Bückler. He began an apprenticeship to a tanner, but turned to petty theft. At 16 he was arrested...
(Johannes Bückler) a child.
Town council
The municipal election held on 26 March 2006 yielded the following results:| Parties and voter communities | % 2006 |
Seats 2006 |
% 2001 |
Seats 2001 |
|
| CDU | Christian Democratic Union of Germany | 34.1 | 13 | 33.0 | 12 |
| SPD | Social Democratic Party of Germany Social Democratic Party of Germany The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany... |
30.8 | 11 | 32.8 | 12 |
| GREENS | Bündnis 90/Die Grünen | 11.1 | 4 | 9.3 | 4 |
| FDP | Free Democratic Party Free Democratic Party (Germany) The Free Democratic Party , abbreviated to FDP, is a centre-right classical liberal political party in Germany. It is led by Philipp Rösler and currently serves as the junior coalition partner to the Union in the German federal government... |
4.0 | 1 | 3.9 | 1 |
| BSB | Bad Schwalbacher Bürgerblock | 15.8 | 6 | 11.2 | 4 |
| FWG | Freie-Wähler-Gemeinschaft | 4.1 | 2 | 9.8 | 4 |
| Total | 100.0 | 37 | 100.0 | 37 | |
| Voter turnout in % | 46.6 | 52.4 | |||
Mayors
At the election on 4 November 2007 Martin Hußmann (FDP) beat the incumbent mayor Michael Kalhoff (CDU) in the first voteTwo-round system
The two-round system is a voting system used to elect a single winner where the voter casts a single vote for their chosen candidate...
with 50.4% of the vote. Voter turnout was 40.3%.
Culture and sightseeing
The Kurbahn, which operates on the rails of the former Moortransportbahn in the spa park, provides special access to the town’s and health resort’s history. From April to October, the trains are run by the Bad Schwalbacher Kurbahn Verein e.V. on all Sundays and holidays. From Moorbadehaus Station the line leads to the Moorgruben by way of Golfhaus, Schwalbenbrunnen and Waldsee.Bad Schwalbach's only museum was reopened in 2002 with new exhibits. Through its exhibits, it attempts to lead visitors through Bad Schwalbach’s history and its life as a health resort. Among other things, the museum includes the pharmacy
Pharmacy
Pharmacy is the health profession that links the health sciences with the chemical sciences and it is charged with ensuring the safe and effective use of pharmaceutical drugs...
museum, once displayed in private rooms. The pharmacy museum contains the oldest pharmacy in the Taunus (established in 1642), fully furnished. The museum also houses the town archive.
Also worth seeing are the seven fountains and many temples, among them the Elisabethentempel, which was endowed by Elisabeth of Austria-Hungary
Elisabeth of Bavaria
Elisabeth of Austria was the spouse of Franz Joseph I, and therefore both Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary. She also held the titles of Queen of Bohemia and Croatia, among others...
(Sissi) while she was staying at the spa in Langenschwalbach. It affords a good view over the town.
North of the town is found Alexander’s Rest – so called even in German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
– a sheltered bench which also serves as a memorial to a British spa visitor who was killed at this spot in a bicycle accident in August 1896 (he is buried at the local cemetery).
Economy and Infrastructure
The largest employer is the Schwälbchen Molkerei Jakob Berz AG (dairy).Transport
Bad Schwalbach lies on BundesstraßeBundesstraße
Bundesstraße , abbreviated B, is the denotation for German and Austrian national highways.-Germany:...
260, also known as the Bäderstraße (“Bath Road”), as well as Bundesstraßen 54 and 275. The nearest Autobahn interchange
Interchange (road)
In the field of road transport, an interchange is a road junction that typically uses grade separation, and one or more ramps, to permit traffic on at least one highway to pass through the junction without directly crossing any other traffic stream. It differs from a standard intersection, at which...
is on the A 66
Bundesautobahn 66
is an autobahn in southwestern Germany. It connects the Taunus to Fulda, passing close to Frankfurt am Main. The first part of the autobahn between Wiesbaden and the Nordwestkreuz Frankfurt, was opened as early as 1934, then called the Rhein-Main-Schnellweg. It became an autobahn in 1965.The...
15 km away. There is also another interchange 20 km away at Idstein on the A 3.
Bad Schwalbach also lies on the Aartalbahn, but there has been no regular passenger service since 1986, only seasonal railway-museum tours by the Nassauische Touristikbahn. Bad Schwalbach is therefore the only Hessian district seat which is no longer served by rail. There have been efforts to have the line reactivated, yet they have all been unsuccessful so far. This line has been labelled a cultural monument and is Hesse's longest building monument – only the Roman Limes
Limes
A limes was a border defense or delimiting system of Ancient Rome. It marked the boundaries of the Roman Empire.The Latin noun limes had a number of different meanings: a path or balk delimiting fields, a boundary line or marker, any road or path, any channel, such as a stream channel, or any...
, a land monument, is longer.
Education
- Nikolaus-August-Otto-Schule (comprehensive schoolComprehensive schoolA comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...
, roughly 1200 students) - Wiedbachschule (primary school)
- Janusz-Korczak-Schule (school for help with learning, special education advisory and promotional centre)
- Internationale Opernakademie (professional school for opera singers)
Sons and daughters of the town
- Polyxena of Hesse-Rotenburg (1706–1735), Queen of Sardinia
- Charles Emmanuel, Landgrave of Hesse-Rotenburg, nephew of the above (1746–1812)
- Edmund Heusinger von Waldegg (1817–1886), railway engineer
- Robert Philipp Nöll von der Nahmer (1899–1986), FDP politician
- Reinhard SuhrenReinhard SuhrenCommander Reinhard "Teddy" Suhren was a German U-boat commander in World War II and younger brother of Korvettenkapitän and Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross recipient Gerd Suhren. Suhren began his U-boat career in March 1938...
(1916–1984), frigate captain and U-boat commander in the Second World War - Jörg FauserJörg FauserJörg Fauser German writer, poet and journalist who was born in Bad Schwalbach and died in Munich....
(1944–1987), journalist and writer - Klaus-Peter Willsch (1961– ), CDU politician
- Christian Werner (1979– ), competition cyclist
People associated with the town
- Matthäus Merian the ElderMatthäus MerianMatthäus Merian der Ältere was a Swiss-born engraver who worked in Frankfurt for most of his career, where he also ran a publishing house.-Early life and marriage:...
(1593–1650), copper engraver and publisher, died in Bad Schwalbach - Johann Heinrich Fenner von Fenneberg (1774–1849), balneotherapist
- Philipp Hoffmann (1806–1889), architect and building master
- Adolphus BuschAdolphus BuschColonel Adolphus Busch was the German-born co-founder of Anheuser-Busch with his father-in-law, Eberhard Anheuser. His great-great-grandson, August Busch IV is now on the board of Anheuser-Busch InBev.-Biography:...
(1839–1913), entrepreneur, died in LindschiedLindschiedLindschied is a small town near Bad Schwalbach in Hesse, Germany. The town lies in the hills of the Taunus and has about 600 inhabitants.In the time of the Roman Empire, the border-wall called Limes went through Lindschied's boundaries... - Paul WallotPaul WallotPaul Wallot was a German architect of Huguenot descent, best known for designing the Reichstag building in Berlin, erected between 1884 and 1894...
(1841–1912), architect of the Reichstag building, died in Bad Schwalbach - Friedrich DelitzschFriedrich DelitzschFriedrich Delitzsch was a German Assyriologist. Born in Erlangen, he studied in Leipzig and Berlin, and in 1874 was habilitated as a lecturer of Semitic languages and Assyriology in Leipzig. In 1885 he became a "full professor" at Leipzig, and afterwards a professor at the Universities of Breslau ...
(1850–1922), Assyriologist, also died here - Julius LippertJulius Lippert (politician)Julius Lippert was a German politician in the Nazi party.Born in Basel, Switzerland, he became an extreme anti-Semite in his youth after reading the anti-Semitic philosophers Joseph Arthur Comte de Gobineau and Houston Stewart Chamberlain...
(1895–1956) NSdAP Politician, Mayor of Berlin, died in Bad Schwalbach - Bernhard Bendel (1908–1980), founder of the Catholic organization Opus Spiritus Sancti
The Realschule
Realschule
The Realschule is a type of secondary school in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein. It has also existed in Croatia , Denmark , Sweden , Hungary and in the Russian Empire .-History:The Realschule was an outgrowth of the rationalism and empiricism of the seventeenth and...
(Hufeisenschule) in what was then called Langenschwalbach was attended from 1846 bis 1848 by Nikolaus Otto (1832–1891), the inventor born in nearby Holzhausen an der Haide
Holzhausen an der Haide
Holzhausen an der Haide is a municipality in the district of Rhein-Lahn, in Rhineland-Palatinate, in western Germany.Holzhausen is the birthplace of Nicolaus August Otto, the inventor of the "Otto Engine"....
who developed the Otto engine
Otto engine
-Otto Engine Types:There are three types of internal combustion engines designed by German inventors Nikolaus August Otto and his partner Eugen Langen. They are the 1862 compression engine, which failed, the 1864 atmospheric engine, and the engine known today as the "Gasoline Engine", the Otto...
.