Bad Kissingen

Bad Kissingen

Coat of arms
Bad Kissingen

Coordinates: 50°12′N 10°4′E / 50.200°N 10.067°ECoordinates: 50°12′N 10°4′E / 50.200°N 10.067°E
Country Germany
State Bavaria
Admin. region Unterfranken
District Bad Kissingen
Government
 • Lord Mayor Kay Blankenburg (SPD)
Area
 • Total 69.42 km2 (26.80 sq mi)
Population (2013-12-31)[1]
 • Total 21,225
 • Density 310/km2 (790/sq mi)
Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes 97688
Dialling codes 0971
Vehicle registration KG
Website www.badkissingen.de
Spa Park Bad Kissingen
Bad Kissingen' in 1900

Bad Kissingen is a spa town in the Bavarian region of Lower Franconia and seat of the district Bad Kissingen. Situated to the south of the Rhön Mountains on the Franconian Saale river, it is a world-famous health resort.

History

The town was first documented in the year 801 as “chizzicha” and was renowned above all for its medicinal springs, which are recorded from as early as 823. Kissingen was first mentioned as a name in 1279. The town established itself as a spa in the 1500s and recorded its first official spa guest in 1520. Kissingen grew to be a chic resort in the 19th century, and was rebuilt as such 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 to the spa at this time.

On 10 July 1866 in Mainfeldzug, Kissingen was the site of fierce battle between Bavarian and Prussian troops.[2]

Imperial Chancellor Otto von Bismarck visited Kissingen's spas many times, and in 1874 narrowly avoided assassination by Eduard Franz Ludwig Kullmann there. Bismarck’s former home in Kissingen is now the Bismarck Museum. Other well-known visitors to the resort included author Leo Tolstoy and artist Adolph von Menzel.

The resort’s clientele changed in the 20th century, with more ordinary citizens visiting than noblemen and women. The spa suffered a one-year interruption in 1945, the only closure in its history. After that, the Department of Social Security built clinics in the town, but a change in health legislation in the 1990s reduced the opportunities for German health insurance contracts to fund spa visits, which led to job losses. As a result, efforts were made to attract a new kind of clientele, helped in no small part by the EMNID survey which named Bad Kissingen Germany’s most well-known spa town.

In 2003, 1.5 million people stayed in the town. With the opening of the KissSalis Therme in February 2004, Bad Kissingen gained a spa leisure centre, and in December 2004, the German-Chinese Football Academy was opened in the town, where the Chinese "08 Star Team" lived and trained in preparation for the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008.

Shortly prior to World War II Manteuffel Kaserne (Manteuffel Barracks) was established at the eastern edge of the Bad Kissingen town center by the German military as part of Hitler's program to expand the German "Wehrmacht" (Army). In 1945, the American military entered the town peacefully, and took over the Kaserne, which was renamed Daley Barracks in 1953.

Town structure

In addition to the main town of Bad Kissingen, its districts include (with population given in brackets, according to the latest statistics dating from 1.January 2011):

Politics

Town Council

The Council of Bad Kissingen (2008–2014) consists of:

Twin towns

Culture and Sights

Rosengarten Rose Garden in Bad Kissingen

Museums

Music

The classical music festival 'Kissinger Sommer' with participation by internationally recognised orchestras and soloists is a highlight of the cultural calendar. A similar event called the ‘Kissinger Winterzauber’ takes place each winter. Other annual events include the ‘Rakoczy Fest’ in the last weekend of July, which is held to honour all historical figures whose lives were connected with Bad Kissingen. The high point is the procession on the Sunday afternoon. Historical figures are represented by citizens of the town for the entire weekend, and take part in town life.

Architecture

Old town hall and market square.
Casino Bad Kissingen

One of the most important buildings in the town is the old town hall, a renaissance design from 1577. Between 1838 and 1913, the arcade was built around the spa garden by Friedrich von Gärtner, as well as the pump rooms, following a design by Max Littmann. The Regency building was constructed by Balthasar Neumann. Max Littmann also designed the Art Nouveau spa theatre, completed in 1905. The oft-forgotten train station building, with its classical neo-renaissance façade, was built in 1874 under supervision by Friedrich Bürklein. The ruins of castle Bodenlaube from 1180 looks over the town from above Reiterswiesen. The KissSalis Therme, opened in 2004, gives the town a modern feel. It is one of the largest wellness baths in Europe, and the largest building project in the town since the Second World War.

Another point of interest is the casino in the spa park.

Other architectural sites in Bad Kissingen include:

Sport

Bad Kissingen boasts a large number of sports clubs and types of sports:

World Cup 2006

During the World Cup 2006, Bad Kissingen was home to the Ecuadorian national football team (the Croatian team was in Bad Brückenau). In honour of this unique event, a street was renamed from Grabengasse to Avenida Amazonas. Sport facilities and infrastructure were also upgraded to ensure optimal training conditions for the team.

Regular events

Schools

Famous inhabitants of Bad Kissingen

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ "Fortschreibung des Bevölkerungsstandes". Bayerisches Landesamt für Statistik und Datenverarbeitung (in German). 31 December 2013.
  2. ↑ Edward Austin Sheldon (1875). "Battle of Kissingen". The first[-fifth] reader. Scribner, Armstrong & company.
  3. ↑ "Die Kissingers in Bad Kissingen" (in German). Bayerischer Rundfunk. 2 June 2005. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 3 February 2007.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bad Kissingen.