Bad Schwalbach (; called Langenschwalbach until 1927) is the district seat of

Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis Rheingau-Taunus is a Kreis (Districts of Germany, district) in the west of Hesse, Germany. Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis is part of the Darmstadt (region), Darmstadt region; its main administrative seat is Bad Schwalbach. Outposted sections of the local ad ...

, in

Hesse Hesse or Hessen ( ), officially the State of Hesse (), is a States of Germany, state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt, which is also the country's principal financial centre. Two other major hist ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

Geography

Geographic location

Bad Schwalbach is a

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, Somerset, Ba ...

some 20 km northwest of

Wiesbaden Wiesbaden (; ) is the capital of the German state of Hesse, and the second-largest Hessian city after Frankfurt am Main. With around 283,000 inhabitants, it is List of cities in Germany by population, Germany's 24th-largest city. Wiesbaden form ...

. It lies at 289 to 465 m above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an mean, average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal Body of water, bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical ...

in the

Taunus The Taunus () is a mountain range in Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, located north west of Frankfurt and north of Wiesbaden. The tallest peak in the range is '' Großer Feldberg'' at 878 m; other notable peaks are '' Kleiner Feldberg' ...

, along the small river

Aar (Lahn) The Aar () is a river of Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate, in western Germany, left tributary of the Lahn. It rises in the Taunus mountains, near Taunusstein. It flows generally north through the towns Taunusstein, Bad Schwalbach, Aarbergen and ...

(a tributary of the

Lahn The Lahn () is a , right (or eastern) tributary of the Rhine in Germany. Its course passes through the States of Germany, federal states of North Rhine-Westphalia (23.0 km), Hesse (165.6 km), and Rhineland-Palatinate (57.0 km). ...

). Over 56 percent of the municipal area is forest.

Neighbouring communities

Bad Schwalbach borders in the north on the community of Hohenstein, in the east on the town of

Taunusstein Taunusstein () is the biggest town in the Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis in the of Darmstadt (region), Darmstadt in Hessen, Germany. It has 30,068 inhabitants (2020). Geography Location Taunusstein lies roughly 10 km northwest of Wiesbaden and abou ...

, in the south on the community of Schlangenbad, and in the west on the community of

Heidenrod Heidenrod is a municipality in the Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis in the ''Regierungsbezirk'' of Darmstadt (region), Darmstadt in Hesse, Germany. Seat of municipal administration is to be found in the most populated municipal district, in Laufenselden. Geo ...

Constituent communities

Bad Schwalbach’s '' Stadtteile'' are Adolfseck, Bad Schwalbach, Fischbach (Bad Schwalbach), Heimbach, Hettenhain, Langenseifen, Lindschied and Ramschied.

History

Bad Schwalbach was first mentioned in a document in 1352 as ''Langinswalbach.'' The first reliable report of the

mineral spring Mineral springs are naturally occurring springs that produce hard water, water that contains dissolved minerals. Salts, sulfur compounds, and gases are among the substances that can be dissolved in the spring water during its passage un ...

s came in 1568 from the

Worms The World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) is a taxonomic database that aims to provide an authoritative and comprehensive catalogue and list of names of marine organisms. Content The content of the registry is edited and maintained by scien ...

doctor '' Tabernaemontanus'', who also made the place known in his 1581 work ''Neuw Wasserschatz'' (New Water Resources). Although Langenschwalbach was utterly destroyed in the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

, it was quickly rebuilt, and the healing water trade began to blossom. At first, the water would be sold by the jug or barrel throughout

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

by mail order. Only a few seekers of healing undertook the arduous journey to the Taunus. The health resort started at the beginning of the 19th century only after the improvement of road conditions through construction. The Aartalbahn (

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

) from

to Langenschwalbach, finished in 1889, also contributed substantially to its founding. Many crowned heads, princes and counts then came to take the waters and visit the gaming parlours where few strict rules applied. After the end of the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, the nobility quickly lost importance and thus began the long, drawn-out and somewhat painful transition from a luxury spa to a public one, which only ended after the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. In a wood near Bad Schwalbach in late 1800 or early 1801, Katharina Pfeifer is said to have borne the outlaw

Schinderhannes Johannes Bückler ( 177821 November 1803; ) was a German outlaw who orchestrated one of the most famous crime sprees in German history. He has been nicknamed Schinderhannes and Schinnerhannes () in German and John the Scorcher, John the Flayer ...

(Johannes Bückler) a child.Bayerlein, S. 214

Politics

Town council

The municipal election held on 26 March 2006 yielded the following results:

Mayors

*1995–2001: Günter Janisch (CDU) *2001–2007: Michael Kalhoff (CDU) *2007–2019: Martin Hußmann (FDP) *2019–incumbent: Markus Oberndörfer (SPD)

Culture and sightseeing

The ''Kurbahn'', which operates on the rails of the former Moortransportbahn in the spa park, provides special access to the town’s and health resort’s history. From April to October, the trains are run by the ''Bad Schwalbacher Kurbahn Verein e.V.'' on all Sundays and holidays. From Moorbadehaus Station the line leads to the Moorgruben by way of Golfhaus, Schwalbenbrunnen and Waldsee. Bad Schwalbach's only museum was reopened in 2002 with new exhibits. Through its exhibits, it attempts to lead visitors through Bad Schwalbach’s history and its life as a health resort. Among other things, the museum includes the

pharmacy Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medication, medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it ...

museum, once displayed in private rooms. The pharmacy museum contains the oldest pharmacy in the Taunus (established in 1642), fully furnished. The museum also houses the town archive. Also worth seeing are the seven fountains and many temples, among them the ''Elisabethentempel'', which was endowed by Elisabeth of Austria-Hungary (Sissi) while she was staying at the spa in Langenschwalbach. It affords a good view over the town. North of the town is found Alexander’s Rest – so called even in

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

– a sheltered bench which also serves as a memorial to a British spa visitor who was killed at this spot in a bicycle accident in August 1896 (he is buried at the local cemetery).

Economy and Infrastructure

The largest employer is the Schwälbchen Molkerei Jakob Berz AG (dairy).

Transport

Bad Schwalbach lies on ''

Bundesstraße ''Bundesstraße'' (, ), abbreviated ''B'', is the denotation for German and Austrian national highways. Germany Germany's ''Bundesstraßen'' network has a total length of about 40,000 km. German ''Bundesstraßen'' are labelled with re ...

'' 260, also known as the ''Bäderstraße'' (“Bath Road”), as well as ''Bundesstraßen'' 54 and 275. The nearest

Autobahn The (; German , ) is the federal controlled-access highway system in Germany. The official term is (abbreviated ''BAB''), which translates as 'federal motorway'. The literal meaning of the word is 'Federal Auto(mobile) Track'. Much of t ...

interchange Interchange may refer to: Transport * Interchange (road), a collection of ramps, exits, and entrances between two or more highways * Interchange (freight rail), the transfer of freight cars between railroad companies * Interchange station, a rai ...

is on the A 66 15 km away. There is also another interchange 20 km away at Idstein on the A 3. Bad Schwalbach also lies on the ''Aartalbahn'', but there has been no regular passenger service since 1986, only seasonal railway-museum tours by the ''Nassauische Touristikbahn''. Bad Schwalbach is therefore the only Hessian district seat which is no longer served by rail. There have been efforts to have the line reactivated, yet they have all been unsuccessful so far. This line has been labelled a cultural monument and is Hesse's longest building monument – only the Roman

limes Limes may refer to: * ''Limes'' (Roman Empire), a border marker and defense system of the Roman Empire * ''Limes'' (Italian magazine), an Italian geopolitical magazine * ''Limes'' (Romanian magazine), a Romanian literary and political quarterly ma ...

, a land monument, is longer.

Education

* Nikolaus-August-Otto-Schule (

comprehensive school A comprehensive school is a secondary school for pupils aged 11–16 or 11–18, that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude, in contrast to a selective school system where admission is restricted on the basis ...

, roughly 1500 students) * Wiedbachschule (

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...

) * Janusz-Korczak-Schule (school for help with learning, special education advisory and promotional centre) * Internationale Opernakademie (professional school for opera singers)

Famous people

Sons and daughters of the town

Polyxena of Hesse-Rotenburg Princess Polyxena of Hesse-Rheinfels-Rotenburg (Polyxena Christina Johanna; 21 September 1706 – 13 January 1735) was the second wife of Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia, Charles Emmanuel, Prince of Piedmont whom she married in 1724. The mother ...

(1706–1735),

Queen of Sardinia This is a list of consorts of the Savoyard monarchs. Countess of Savoy, 1003–1416 Duchess of Savoy, 1416–1713 ;As courtesy title Queen of Sardinia, 1720–1861 Between 1859 and 1861 the Kingdom of Sardinia incorporated the majo ...

Charles Emmanuel, Landgrave of Hesse-Rotenburg Charles Emmanuel, Landgrave of Hesse-Rotenburg (Karl Emanuel; 5 June 1746 – 23 March 1812) was landgrave of Landgraviate of Hesse-Rotenburg, Hessen-Rotenburg between 1778 and 1812. He was named after his uncle Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia, ...

, nephew of the above (1746–1812) * Edmund Heusinger von Waldegg (1817–1886), railway engineer *

Otto Frickhoeffer Otto Frickhoeffer (29 March 1892 – 9 April 1968) was a German composer and conductor. Life Born in Bad Schwalbach as the son of a medical officer, Frickhoeffer wanted to become a musician. Since the father insisted on studying medicine, Frickh ...

(1892-1968) conductor and composer * Robert Philipp Nöll von der Nahmer (1899–1986), FDP politician *

Reinhard Suhren Reinhard Johann Heinz Paul Anton Suhren (16 April 1916 – 25 August 1984) was a German U-boat commander in World War II and younger brother of ''Korvettenkapitän (Ing.)'' and Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross recipient Gerd Suhren. Suhren was ...

(1916–1984), frigate captain and U-boat commander in the

Jörg Fauser Jörg Fauser (16 July 1944 – 17 July 1987) was a German writer, poet and journalist. The influence of the American beat generation literature on his works is well known. Together with Carl Weissner and other colleagues he published several is ...

(1944–1987), journalist and writer *

Klaus-Peter Willsch Klaus-Peter Willsch (28 February 1961, Bad Schwalbach) is a German politician of the CDU party and member of the Bundestag, representing Rheingau-Taunus – Limburg. Early life and education Willsch attended the University of Mainz and receiv ...

(1961– ), CDU politician *

Erol Bulut Erol Bulut (; born 30 January 1975) is a Turkish professional football manager and former player. He most recently managed EFL Championship club Cardiff City. Club career Football Born in Bad Schwalbach, West Germany, During his career as a footb ...

(1975– ), former footballer and manager * Christian Werner (1979– ), competition cyclist

People associated with the town

* Matthäus Merian the Elder (1593–1650), copper engraver and publisher, died in Bad Schwalbach * Johann Heinrich Fenner von Fenneberg (1774–1849), balneotherapist * Philipp Hoffmann (1806–1889), architect and building master *

Adolphus Busch Adolphus Busch (10 July 1839 – 10 October 1913) was the German-born co-founder of Anheuser-Busch with his father-in-law, Eberhard Anheuser. He introduced numerous innovations, building the success of the company in the late 19th and early 2 ...

(1839–1913), entrepreneur, died in Lindschied *

Paul Wallot Johann Paul Wallot (26 June 1841 Oppenheim am Rhein – 10 August 1912 Bad Schwalbach) was a German architect of Huguenot descent, best known for designing the Reichstag building in Berlin, erected between 1884 and 1894. He also built the adjacen ...

(1841–1912), architect of the Reichstag building, died in Bad Schwalbach *

Friedrich Delitzsch Friedrich Delitzsch (; 3 September 1850 – 19 December 1922) was a German Assyriologist. He was the son of Lutheran theologian Franz Delitzsch (1813–1890). Born in Erlangen, he studied in Leipzig and Berlin, gaining his habilitation in 1874 as ...

(1850–1922), Assyriologist, also died here *

Julius Lippert Julius Lippert (9 July 1895 – 30 June 1956) was a German Nazi Party politician who served as the ''Staatskommissar'' (State Commissioner) for Berlin from 1933 to 1937 and as its ''Oberbürgermeister'' and ''Stadtspräsident'' (City President) f ...

(1895–1956) NSdAP Politician, Mayor of Berlin, died in Bad Schwalbach *

Bernhard Bendel Bernhard Bendel (1908-1980) was a Catholic clergyman. He was the founder of Opus Spiritus Sancti. Biography Bernhard Bendel was born on October 20, 1908, in Steinefrenz in the southern Westerwald. Bernhard was the eldest of eleven children of Heinr ...

(1908–1980), founder of the

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

organization Opus Spiritus Sancti The

Realschule Real school (, ) is a type of secondary school in Germany, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It has also existed in Croatia (''realna gimnazija''), the Austrian Empire, the German Empire, Denmark and Norway (''realskole''), Sweden (''realskola''), F ...

(Hufeisenschule) in what was then called Langenschwalbach was attended from 1846 to 1848 by

Nicolaus Otto Nicolaus August Otto (10 June 1832 – 26 January 1891) was a German engineer who successfully developed the compressed charge internal combustion engine which ran on petroleum gas and led to the modern internal combustion engine. The Associa ...

(1832–1891), the inventor born in nearby

Holzhausen an der Haide Holzhausen an der Haide is a municipality in the Rhein-Lahn, district of Rhein-Lahn, in Rhineland-Palatinate, in western Germany. Holzhausen is the birthplace of Nicolaus August Otto, the inventor of the "Petrol engine, Otto Engine". References< ...

who developed the

Otto engine The Otto engine is a large stationary single-cylinder internal combustion engine, internal combustion four-stroke engine, designed by the German Nicolaus Otto. It was a low-RPM machine, and only fired every other stroke due to the Otto cycle, a ...

References

External links

Bad Schwalbach

Museum in Bad Schwalbach
{{Authority control Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis Spa towns in Germany