Bad Urach

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Country:	Germany
Bad Urach

Coordinates:	48° 30′ N, 9° 24′ E
Time zone:	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Administration
State:	Baden-Württemberg
Administrative region:	Tübingen
District:	Reutlingen
City subdivisions:	5 districts
Mayor:	Markus Ewald
Basic Statistics
Area:	55.50 km² (21 sq.mi.)
Population:	12,654 (30 June 2006)
- Density:	228 /km² (591 /sq.mi.)
Elevation:	463 m (1519 ft)
Further Information
Postal codes:	72562–72574
Area codes:	07125, 07381
Licence plate code:	RT
Website:	www.bad-urach.de

Marketplace with city hall

Bad Urach is a town in the district of Reutlingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated 14 km east of Reutlingen, at the foot of the Swabian Alb, and is known for its spa and therapeutic bath.

1 History
2 Sights
3 Famous People
4 Gallery

[edit] History

In the early Stone Age, the Swabian Alb was already populated, and several caves in the area show evidence that they provided shelter for the inhabitants.

Owing to its prime location on a hill overlooking the Erms Valley, Hohenurach Castle was built around 1025, and in the Middle Ages Bad Urach (at that time only known as Urach) became a center of power. The castle became a state prison in the late Middle Ages; the poet Philipp Nikodemus Frischlin died while trying to escape over its walls in 1590. In the 18th century, the fortress was razed to the ground by the citizenry.

Around 1260 Urach became part of Württemberg. Nearly 100 years later, at the time when Württemberg was divided, the southern part of the region was governed from Urach, the so-called "secret capital," which was the residential home of the Dukes of Württemberg from 1442 until 1482. Count Eberhard the Bearded was born here in 1445 and returned there frequently throughout his life. Over the next several centuries, the town prospered and became a center for weaving. It escaped serious damage during any wars and so remains in excellent historical condition.

Since 1985 the city has been a nationally recognized spa town.

[edit] Sights

Bad Urach possesses a late-medieval marketplace with a city hall and half-timbered houses that date from the 15th and 16th centuries.

The Residenzschloss (Castle Residence), the residential home of the Counts of Württemberg-Urach where Eberhard the Bearded was born, contains rooms that date from the Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque periods. The Goldene Saal (Golden Hall), one of Germany's loveliest Renaissance rooms, is particularly worth a visit.

The Church of Saint Amandus dates from 1477 and was built in the Gothic style for Eberhard the Bearded. His lavish praying desk dates from 1472. The pulpit is decorated with figures of the saints and church fathers and is considered an important piece of German stonemasonry. The 1518 baptismal font is by the sculptor Christoph von Urach.

Also of interest are the ruins of the old castle (Schloss Hohenurach) and the waterfall (Uracher Wasserfall) on the hiking trail up to it.