Bad Schwalbach

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Bad Schwalbach


Country	Germany
State	Hesse
Administrative region	Darmstadt
District	Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis
Population	11,047 (2004)
Area	40.27 km²
Population density	274 /km²
Elevation	361 m
Coordinates	50°08′ N 8°4′ E
Postal code	65307
Area code	06124
Licence plate code	RÜD
Mayor	Michael Kalhoff (CDU)
Website	bad-schwalbach.de

Bad Schwalbach (called Langenschwalbach until 1927) is the capital of Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis in Hesse, Germany.

1 Geography
2 History
3 Culture and Places of Interest
4 Economy and Infrastructure
5 Roads
6 Literature
7 External links

[edit] Geography

[edit] Geographic Location

Bad Schwalbach is a spa town approximately 20 km northwest of Wiesbaden. It lies at 289 to 465 meters elevation in the Taunus mountains, along the small river Aar (a tributary of the Lahn). Over 56 percent of its area is forest.

[edit] Neighboring Area and Cities

Bad Schwalbach borders the community of Hohenstein to the north, to the east, the city of Taunusstein, to the south, the community of Schlangenbad, as well as the community of Heidenrod to the west.

[edit] Town Districts

The town consists of the districts: Adolfseck, Bad Schwalbach, Fischbach, Heimbach, Hettenhain, Langenseifen, Lindschied, and Ramschied.

[edit] History

Image:Langenschwalbach.jpg

Map of Langenschwalbach in the year 1728

Bad Schwalbach was first mentioned in a document in 1352 as Langinswalbach. The first reliable report of the mineral springs came in 1568 from the Wormser doctor bernaemontanus, who also mentioned them in his 1581 work "New Wasserschatz" (New Water Resources) Although Langenschwalbach would be utterly destroyed in the 30 Year War, it would be quickly rebuilt, and the healing water trade began to blossom. At first, the water would be sold by the jug or barrel in the whole of Europe by mail order. Only a few seekers of healing undertook the unwieldy journey to Taunus. The health resort started at the beginning of the 19th century only after the improvement of road conditions through construction. The Aartalbahn railroad from Wiesbaden to Langenschwalbach, finished in 1889, also contributed substantially to its founding. Many noblemen, princes and counts, came at that point to heal and visit the gaming parlors where few strict rules applied. After the end of World War I, the nobility quickly lost interest and thus began the long and somewhat painful transition from a luxury spa to a public one, having made the full transition by the end of World War II.

At the end of the year 1800 or the beginning of 1801, in the woods near Bad Schwalbach, Katharina Pfeifer from Langenhain in Taunus would bear a child from the robber Schinderhannes.

[edit] Culture and Places of Interest

The "Kurbahn", which operates on the rails of the former Moortransportbahn in Kurpark, provides special access to the history of the city and the health resort.

Bad Schwalbach's only museum was re-opened in 2002 with new exhibits. Through its exhibits, it attempts to lead visitors through the history of Bad Schwalbach and its life as a health resort. Among other things, the museum includes the drugstore museum, once only in private rooms. The drugstore museum contains the oldest drugstore in Taunus (established in 1642) fully furnished. The museum also contains the archives of the town.

[edit] Economy and Infrastructure

The largest employer is a dairy which has captured the swallow from the town's coat of arms in more than just name.

[edit] Roads

Bad Schwalbach is on federal highway 260, also known as the Taunus Highway, as well as federal highways 54 and 275. By autobahn, it lies 15 km from the A3 and 20 km from the Idstein exit on the A66.

Bad Schwalbach is also on the Aartalbahn, but passenger trains have not run on it since 1986, only trains for seasonal tours through the Nassauische Touristikbahn. Bad Schwalbach is therefore the only Hessian district which is no longer accessible by rail. There have been efforts to have the stretch of railroad re-activated, yet they have all been unsuccessful so far. This stretch of railroad has been labeled a cultural monument and is Hessen's longest historical monument - only the Roman Limes, a land monument, is longer.