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Bad Mergentheim (; Mergentheim until 1926;
East Franconian East Franconian (german: Ostfränkisch) or Mainfränkisch, usually referred to as Franconian (') in German, is a dialect which is spoken in Franconia, the northern part of the federal state of Bavaria and other areas in Germany around Nuremberg ...
: ''Märchedol'') is a town in the
Main-Tauber-Kreis Main-Tauber-Kreis is a ''Landkreis'' (district) in the northeast of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Neighboring districts are (from northwest clockwise) Miltenberg, Main-Spessart, Würzburg, Neustadt (Aisch)-Bad Windsheim and Ansbach (all in Bava ...
district in the
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...
state of
Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...
. It has a population of around 23,000. An officially recognized
spa town A spa town is a resort town based on a mineral spa (a developed mineral spring). Patrons visit spas to "take the waters" for their purported health benefits. Thomas Guidott set up a medical practice in the English town of Bath in 1668. He ...
since 1926, Bad Mergentheim is also known as the headquarters of the Teutonic Order from 1526 until 1809.


Geography


Subdivisions

Since administrative reform in the 1970s the following villages have been part of the municipality: Althausen ''(pop. 600)'', Apfelbach ''(350)'', Dainbach ''(370)'', Edelfingen ''(1,400''; birthplace of the American biochemist Julius Adler), Hachtel ''(360)'', Herbsthausen ''(200)'', Löffelstelzen ''(1,000)'', Markelsheim ''(2,000)'', Neunkirchen ''(1,000)'', Rengershausen ''(480)'', Rot ''(260)'', Stuppach ''(680)'', Wachbach ''(1,300)''


History

Mergentheim is mentioned in chronicles as early as 1058, as the residence of the family of the counts of
Hohenlohe The House of Hohenlohe () is a German princely dynasty. It ruled an immediate territory within the Holy Roman Empire which was divided between several branches. The Hohenlohes became imperial counts in 1450. The county was divided numerous ti ...
. The brothers Andreas, Heinrich and Friedrich von Hohenlohe joined the ''Deutscher Orden'' ( Teutonic Order) in 1219 and gave their two castles near Mergentheim to the order. One was abandoned, the other became the seat of the local ''
Komtur Commander ( it, Commendatore; french: Commandeur; german: Komtur; es, Comendador; pt, Comendador), or Knight Commander, is a title of honor prevalent in chivalric orders and fraternal orders. The title of Commander occurred in the medieval mili ...
'' (commander) of the order. Following the order's conquest of
East Prussia East Prussia ; german: Ostpreißen, label=Low Prussian; pl, Prusy Wschodnie; lt, Rytų Prūsija was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1773 to 1829 and again from 1878 (with the Kingdom itself being part of the German Empire from 1871 ...
and part of
Livland Livonia ( liv, Līvõmō, et, Liivimaa, fi, Liivinmaa, German and Scandinavian languages: ', archaic German: ''Liefland'', nl, Lijfland, Latvian and lt, Livonija, pl, Inflanty, archaic English: ''Livland'', ''Liwlandia''; russian: Л� ...
in the 1230s, in 1309 the Grand Master of the order moved to the '' Marienburg''. In 1340 Mergentheim was awarded
town privileges Town privileges or borough rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium. The city law customary in Central Europe probably dates back to Italian models, which in turn were oriented towards the traditio ...
. It rapidly became the most important of the eleven commanderies of the Teutonic Order. The ''Deutschmeister'', highest ranking member inside the
Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. From the accession of Otto I in 962 un ...
(to which Prussia did not belong), moved his seat to Mergentheim in 1525 after his castle at Hornberg/Neckar had been destroyed by peasants. That same year, Grand Master Albrecht von Zollern-Brandenburg resigned his position, left the order, introduced
Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and i ...
, married and – supported by his liege lord the
King of Poland Poland was ruled at various times either by dukes and princes (10th to 14th centuries) or by kings (11th to 18th centuries). During the latter period, a tradition of free election of monarchs made it a uniquely electable position in Europe (16t ...
– turned the order's eastern territories into a temporal duchy. The rulers of the order in Germany, now styling themselves ''Hoch- und Deutschmeister'', then made Mergentheim the order's new headquarters and expanded the castle into a palatial residence. Over the next centuries, the town served as the centre of the order's southern German territories much like the residence town of any ruling prince. Some grand masters, like
Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria (5 January 1614 – 20 November 1662), younger brother of Emperor Ferdinand III, was an Austrian soldier, administrator and patron of the arts. He held a number of military commands, with limited success, and ...
(1614–62), who in his 21 years in that role never once set foot in the town, were hardly ever present. Others, like Maximilian Franz (1756-1801), a son of
Maria Theresa Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina (german: Maria Theresia; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was ruler of the Habsburg dominions from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position '' suo jure'' (in her own right) ...
, loved the place. For the order's general chapter in 1791 he brought the orchestra of the
Archbishopric of Cologne The Archdiocese of Cologne ( la, Archidioecesis Coloniensis; german: Erzbistum Köln) is an archdiocese of the Catholic Church in western North Rhine-Westphalia and northern Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany. History The Electorate of Cologn ...
, including one
Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical ...
on
viola ; german: Bratsche , alt=Viola shown from the front and the side , image=Bratsche.jpg , caption= , background=string , hornbostel_sachs=321.322-71 , hornbostel_sachs_desc=Composite chordophone sounded by a bow , range= , related= *Violin family ...
. Mergentheim retained this role until the dissolution of the order in the countries of the ''
Rheinbund The Confederated States of the Rhine, simply known as the Confederation of the Rhine, also known as Napoleonic Germany, was a confederation of German client states established at the behest of Napoleon some months after he defeated Austria an ...
'' in 1809 by
Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
.. Additional citations: Höring, ''Das Karlsbad bei Mergentheim'' (Mergentheim 1887); and Schmitt, ''Garnisongeschichte der Stadt Mergentheim'' (Stuttgart, 1895). Mergentheim's fortunes declined after that but were reversed in 1826, when a shepherd by the name of Franz Gehring discovered rich mineral springs in the surrounding area, during the time when spas were expanding in Germany at a rapid pace. The water turned out to be the strongest sodium-sulfate water in Europe, reportedly effective for the treatment of digestive disorders. In the 1970s during the ''Gemeindereform'' (administrative reform) several neighbouring villages were incorporated into the municipality.


Arts and culture


Attractions


Mergentheim Palace

The best-known sight of Bad Mergentheim is the ''Deutschordensschloss'', the castle where the Teutonic Knights once had their home base. It is a complex of buildings built over a period of eight hundred years. The first buildings of the castle were probably erected as early as the 12th century. The castle was expanded in the late 16th century under Grand Master Walther von Cronberg. Over the course of time a representative
Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...
complex was built by connecting the individual buildings in the inner palace courtyard to a closed ring of buildings. In 1574, the main architect, , also constructed the spiral staircase between the west and north wing. Today the castle houses the ''Deutschordensmuseum'' (museum of the Teutonic Order). The
English landscape garden The English landscape garden, also called English landscape park or simply the English garden (french: Jardin à l'anglaise, it, Giardino all'inglese, german: Englischer Landschaftsgarten, pt, Jardim inglês, es, Jardín inglés), is a sty ...
between palace and spa building is mainly due to Archduke Maximilian Franz. In 1797, he had a "mosque" built there to recall the past Turkish threat and in 1802 the ''Schellenhäusle'', a late
Chinoiserie (, ; loanword from French ''chinoiserie'', from ''chinois'', "Chinese"; ) is the European interpretation and imitation of Chinese and other East Asian artistic traditions, especially in the decorative arts, garden design, architecture, litera ...
. The obelisk was built under Duke Paul von Württemberg, a memorial for a dog that saved his life on one of his expeditions. The castle complex is dominated by the ''Schlosskirche'' (palace church), begun in 1730 under Franz Ludwig Herzog von Pfalz-Neuburg in
Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including th ...
style. It was finished in 1735 under Clemens August von Wittelsbach. The plans for the interior were drawn up by
François de Cuvilliés François de Cuvilliés, sometimes referred to as ''the Elder'' (23 October 1695, Soignies, Hainaut14 April 1768, Munich), was a Belgian-born Bavarian decorative designer and architect. He was instrumental in bringing the Rococo style to the Wi ...
, the Electoral court architect of Cologne. Architects working on site were Joseph Roth and Friedrich Kirchenmayer. Its
Rococo Rococo (, also ), less commonly Roccoco or Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and theatrical style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpted moulding, ...
interior features elaborate ceiling
fresco Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster ...
s by the court painter , depicting ''The Defense of Faith'', the ''Glorification of the Cross in
Heaven Heaven or the heavens, is a common religious cosmological or transcendent supernatural place where beings such as deities, angels, souls, saints, or venerated ancestors are said to originate, be enthroned, or reside. According to the belie ...
and on Earth'' and the ''Emperor Constantine's Vision of the Cross''. The main altar painting is ''Die Salbung Jesu durch Maria in Bethanien'' by local painter . Side altar paintings were by
Giambattista Pittoni Giambattista Pittoni or Giovanni Battista Pittoni (6 June 1687 – 6 November 1767) was a Venetian painter of the late Baroque or Rococo period. He was among the founders of the Academy of Fine Arts of Venice, of which in 1758 he became the ...
(''Kreuzaufnahme'', ''Armenspeisung durch die heilige Elisabeth''). The crypt below the church is the burial site of the order's grand masters. For around 200 years the ''Schlosskirche'' has been a
Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to ...
church.


Other sights

The sacristy of the ''Marienkirche'' (finished in 1388) features frescos made in 1300-10 by the monk Rudolfus. This was formerly the church of a Dominican monastery. The cloister has a fresco from 1486 showing a Visitation that depicts an embryo inside the body of Mary. The church also contains the epitaph of Walther von Cronberg, the first Mergentheim Grand Master. Modelled in 1539, probably by Hans Vischer, it was taken to Monrepos at
Ludwigsburg Ludwigsburg (; Swabian: ''Ludisburg'') is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, about north of Stuttgart city centre, near the river Neckar. It is the largest and primary city of the Ludwigsburg district with about 88,000 inhabitants. It is ...
in 1809, when Mergentheim became part of the
Kingdom of Württemberg The Kingdom of Württemberg (german: Königreich Württemberg ) was a German state that existed from 1805 to 1918, located within the area that is now Baden-Württemberg. The kingdom was a continuation of the Duchy of Württemberg, which existe ...
. In 1853, the statue was restored to this church.


Demographics


Governance


Town twinning

Bad Mergentheim is twinned with: *
Digne-les-Bains Digne-les-Bains (; Occitan: ''Dinha dei Banhs''), or simply and historically Digne (''Dinha'' in the classical norm or ''Digno'' in the Mistralian norm), is the prefecture of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte ...
, France *
Sainte-Marie-du-Mont, Manche Sainte-Marie-du-Mont () is a commune in the Manche department and in the region of Normandy in north-western France. The commune has 712 inhabitants (2019). Geography Saint-Marie-du-Mont is located in the southeast of the Cotentin Peninsula, j ...
, France *
Fuefuki, Yamanashi 270px, Ichinomiya Asama Shrine is a city in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 69,463 in 29,406 households, and a population density of 340 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Fuefuki is ...
,
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
*
Borgomanero Borgomanero ( pms, Borbané; lmo, Borbanee) is a (municipality) in the Province of Novara in the Italian region Piedmont, located about northeast of Turin, about northwest of Novara and about 60 km northwest of Milan. Borgomanero border ...
, Italy


Infrastructure

* Löffelstelzen Transmitter * German Diabetes Center Mergentheim


Notable people

* Heinrich von Hohenlohe (died 1249), buried in the church in Mergentheim *
Johann Friedrich Mayer (agriculturist) Johann Friedrich Georg Hartmann Mayer (September 21, 1719 – March 17, 1798) was a German Reformed pastor and agricultural reformer,Rudolf Vierhaus (2006) ''Kraatz - Menge.'' K. G. Saur Verlag GmbH & Company, p. 824 who is considered one of ...
(1719–1798), priest and agricultural reformer ("Plaster Apostle") *
Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical ...
(1770–1827), was viola player in the court's musical establishment of the ''
Hochmeister The Grand Master of the Teutonic Order (german: Hochmeister des Deutschen Ordens; la, Magister generalis Ordo Teutonicus) is the supreme head of the Teutonic Order. It is equivalent to the grand master of other military orders and the superi ...
'' (Grand Master) of the Teutonic Knights, Maximilian Franz of Austria in 1791 * (1814–1872), Protestant pastor and Württemberg local historian *
Eduard Mörike Eduard Friedrich Mörike (8 September 18044 June 1875) was a German Lutheran pastor who was also a Romantic poet and writer of novellas and novels. Many of his poems were set to music and became established folk songs, while others were used by ...
(1804–1875), German poet, lived in Mergentheim from 1844–1851 * Fritz Keller (1850–1923), member of parliament, president of the Württemberg Forest Office *
Franz Conrad von Hötzendorf Franz Xaver Josef Conrad von Hötzendorf (after 1919 Franz Conrad; 11 November 1852 – 25 August 1925), sometimes anglicised as Hoetzendorf, was an Austrian general who played a central role in World War I. He served as '' K.u.k. Feldmarschall ...
(1852–1925), Austro-Hungarian Field Marshall from 1871–1918, died in Mergentheim *
Ottmar Mergenthaler Ottmar Mergenthaler (11 May 1854 – 28 October 1899) was a German-American inventor who has been called a second Gutenberg, as Mergenthaler invented the linotype machine, the first device that could easily and quickly set complete lines of ...
(1854–1899), inventor of the Linotype *
Edvard Hjelt Edvard Immanuel Hjelt (28 June 1855 – 2 July 1921) was a Finnish chemist, politician and a member of the Senate of Finland. Hjelt studied chemistry in Finland and in Germany and became rector of the University of Helsinki in 1899. He oppose ...
(1855–1921), Finnish chemist and politician, died in Mergentheim *
Felix Fechenbach Felix Fechenbach (28 January 1894 – 7 August 1933) was a German journalist, poet and political activist. He served as State-Secretary in the government of Kurt Eisner that overthrew the Bavarian Wittelsbach Monarchy. After its overthrow, he wor ...
(1894–1933), German Jewish journalist, poet and political activist, who was murdered by the
Nazis Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Naz ...
* (born 1944), writer, children's and youth book author (
Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis The (German Youth Literature Award) is an annual award established in 1956 by the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth to recognise outstanding works of children's and young adult literature. It is Germany's only ...
1984) *
Barbara Stamm Barbara Stamm (; 29 October 1944 – 5 October 2022) was a German politician of the Christian Social Union in Bavaria. She joined the CSU in 1969, was a member of the town council of Würzburg from 1972, and a member of the Landtag of Bavaria f ...
(born 1944), politician CSU, President of the Bavarian Parliament *
Fritz Kuhn Fritz Kuhn (born 29 June 1955) is a German politician who served as Mayor of Stuttgart from 2012 until 2021. He was co-chairman of Alliance '90/The Greens, the German Green party, in 2002 and its parliamentary group from 2002 to 2013. Early li ...
(born 1955), mayor of
Stuttgart Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the Swa ...
, former Member of Parliament and former national chairman of the Greens * (born 1963), cook, awarded one star in the
Michelin Michelin (; ; full name: ) is a French multinational tyre manufacturing company based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes ''région'' of France. It is the second largest tyre manufacturer in the world behind Bridgestone and lar ...
*
Martin Lanig Martin Lanig (born 11 July 1984) is a German former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. Career Youth squads Lanig began playing for SV Königshofen. Later he played for TSV Tauberbischofsheim and 1. FC Nürnberg. FV ...
(born 1984), football player * Carolin Golubytskyi (born 1985), foil fencer * Atilla Yildirim (born 1990), Dutch-Turkish football player * Florian Ruck (born 1992), football player * Valentin Kluss (born 2007), racing driver


See also

* Wildpark Bad Mergentheim


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:BadMergentheim Castles of the Teutonic Knights Spa towns in Germany Main-Tauber-Kreis Historic Jewish communities Franconian Circle Württemberg