Bad Wildbad
Encyclopedia
Bad Wildbad is a town in Germany
, in the state of Baden-Württemberg
. It is located in the government district (Regierungsbezirk
) of Karlsruhe
and in the district (Landkreis) of Calw
. Its coordinates are 48° 45' N, 8° 33' E. About 11,250 people live there. The current mayor
is Klaus Mack.
The current town of Bad Wildbad is an amalgamation of several communities brought together under local government reform in 1974. The member communities are Wildbad, Calmbach, Sprollenhaus, Nonnenmiß and Aichelberg, along with the hamlets
of Hünerberg und Meistern. The town was named only Wildbad until 1991, when it was given its current name ("Bad" is German
for "bath", a reference to the town's status as a spa town
).
It is picturesquely situated 420 m above sea level
, in the romantic pine-clad gorge of the Enz
, a tributary of the Neckar
in the Black Forest
, 45 km west of Stuttgart
and 23 east of Baden-Baden
by rail. Towering above Bad Wildbad is a small mountain
, the Wildbader Sommerberg, whose top may be reached by the Sommerbergbahn
, a funicular railway
. It covers a vertical difference of about 300 m.
It is historically a popular medicinal spa. The neighbourhood is picturesque, the most attractive spot being the Wildsee
- a small lake some distance from the town itself, measuring 2.3 ha, and at about 900 m above sea level.
The annual Rossini in Wildbad opera festival, held in July, brings an international audience to the Kurhaus and the Kurtheater to hear belcanto works by Gioachino Rossini and his contemporaries.
Bad Wildbad is connected to Germany's national rail network through the Karlsruhe Stadtbahn, line S6, running on the Enz Valley Railway
. Being located deep in the northern Black Forest
, Bad Wildbad has no direct connection with any Autobahn. The nearest one is just west of Pforzheim
.
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...
, in the state of Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
. It is located in the government district (Regierungsbezirk
Regierungsbezirk
In Germany, a Government District, in German: Regierungsbezirk – is a subdivision of certain federal states .They are above the Kreise, Landkreise, and kreisfreie Städte...
) of Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe (region)
Karlsruhe is one of the four administrative districts of Baden-Württemberg, Germany, located in the north-west of the state. It is subdivided into the three regional associations : Mittlerer Oberrhein , Rhein-Neckar and Nordschwarzwald .- External links :*...
and in the district (Landkreis) of Calw
Calw (district)
Calw is a district in the middle of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Neighboring districts are Karlsruhe, Enz, the district-free city Pforzheim, Böblingen, Freudenstadt and Rastatt.- History :...
. Its coordinates are 48° 45' N, 8° 33' E. About 11,250 people live there. The current mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
is Klaus Mack.
The current town of Bad Wildbad is an amalgamation of several communities brought together under local government reform in 1974. The member communities are Wildbad, Calmbach, Sprollenhaus, Nonnenmiß and Aichelberg, along with the hamlets
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
of Hünerberg und Meistern. The town was named only Wildbad until 1991, when it was given its current name ("Bad" is 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....
for "bath", a reference to the town's status as a spa town
Spa 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...
).
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 romantic pine-clad gorge of the Enz
Enz
The Enz is a left tributary of the Neckar in Baden-Württemberg.It is 112 km long.Its headstreams – the Little Enz and the Big Enz – rise in the northern Black Forest, the latter at Enzklösterle. In Calmbach , the Little Enz and the Big Enz join to form the Enz. The river passes through...
, a tributary of the Neckar
Neckar
The Neckar is a long river, mainly flowing through the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg, but also a short section through Hesse, in Germany. The Neckar is a major right tributary of the River Rhine...
in the Black Forest
Black Forest
The Black Forest is a wooded mountain range in Baden-Württemberg, southwestern Germany. It is bordered by the Rhine valley to the west and south. The highest peak is the Feldberg with an elevation of 1,493 metres ....
, 45 km west of Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
and 23 east of Baden-Baden
Baden-Baden
Baden-Baden is a spa town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located on the western foothills of the Black Forest, on the banks of the Oos River, in the region of Karlsruhe...
by rail. Towering above Bad Wildbad is a small mountain
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
, the Wildbader Sommerberg, whose top may be reached by the Sommerbergbahn
Sommerbergbahn
The Sommerbergbahn is a funicular railway in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It runs from Bad Wildbad to the top of the Wildbader Sommerberg, which gives good views over the town, with one intermediate stop....
, a funicular railway
Funicular
A funicular, also known as an inclined plane or cliff railway, is a cable railway in which a cable attached to a pair of tram-like vehicles on rails moves them up and down a steep slope; the ascending and descending vehicles counterbalance each other.-Operation:The basic principle of funicular...
. It covers a vertical difference of about 300 m.
It is historically a popular medicinal spa. The neighbourhood is picturesque, the most attractive spot being the Wildsee
Wildsee
The Wildsee is a small lake within a moor between Bad Wildbad and Gernsbach on top of the Northern Black Forest mountain range in southwestern Germany. The lake is fed by rain water....
- a small lake some distance from the town itself, measuring 2.3 ha, and at about 900 m above sea level.
The annual Rossini in Wildbad opera festival, held in July, brings an international audience to the Kurhaus and the Kurtheater to hear belcanto works by Gioachino Rossini and his contemporaries.
Bad Wildbad is connected to Germany's national rail network through the Karlsruhe Stadtbahn, line S6, running on the Enz Valley Railway
Enz Valley Railway
The Enz Valley Railway is a long railway line in the northern part of the Black Forest in Germany...
. Being located deep in the northern Black Forest
Black Forest
The Black Forest is a wooded mountain range in Baden-Württemberg, southwestern Germany. It is bordered by the Rhine valley to the west and south. The highest peak is the Feldberg with an elevation of 1,493 metres ....
, Bad Wildbad has no direct connection with any Autobahn. The nearest one is just west of Pforzheim
Pforzheim
Pforzheim is a town of nearly 119,000 inhabitants in the state of Baden-Württemberg, southwest Germany at the gate to the Black Forest. It is world-famous for its jewelry and watch-making industry. Until 1565 it was the home to the Margraves of Baden. Because of that it gained the nickname...
.