Bad Soden am Taunus Travel Guide

More about the History of Bad Soden am Taunus

The town quarter known as Altenhain was first mentioned in written documents over 750 years ago but in 1991 Bad Soden and Neuenhain (Neuenhain vacation rentals | Neuenhain travel guide) were able to celebrate the 800th anniversary of their fist appearing in a document issued on behalf of the then archbishop of Mainz (Mainz vacation rentals | Mainz travel guide). However, we know that settlements were in existence here long before that era, a fact which is proved by archaeological finds dating from approximately 600BC. It also must come as no surprise that the Romans were wellacquainted with the area.

Conclusive evidence showing that Soden, likewise the neighboring location of Sulzbach, enjoyed the status of being a village endowed with the freedom of the realm can be found in the confirmation of privileges granted by Emperor Sigismund in 1434. It is quite possible that the area´s coat of arms also dates from this period.

Both villages were given to the duke of Nassau (Nassau vacation rentals | Nassau travel guide) as a form of compensation for his foregoing of municipal office in Holland (1803): Situated in the direction of Frankfurt (Frankfurt vacation rentals | Frankfurt travel guide), Sulzbach and Soden, once villages enjoying freedom of the realm, which experienced together both joy an sorrow ... now both belong to Nassau and there will be no end to their prosperity (Taken from Germany or Letters of a German Travelling in Germany by Carl Julius Weber). After Nassau had formed an alliance during the Austrian-Prussian war of 1866 and in so doing had supported the defeated faction, it was inevitable that the Prussian flag would fly over the territories of Nassau. Soden consequently became part of the Prussian provice of Hessen-Nassau. In 1867 a gasworks was set up in Bad Soden and, soon after the war of 1870/71, Soden became one of the first places in Germany to boast a street-lighting system.

Such were two milestones which played their part in elevating Soden to the status of township although it was only after the 2 World Wars that Soden in 1947 with the then population of 6,247 was officially granted town status and the accompanying municipal rights. Today, following the local district reforms of 1977 as well as the resulting incorporation of the areas of Altenhain and Neuenhain, Bad Soden has a population of approximately 21,000 inhabitants.

An integral chapter of the town´s history is its emergence as a spa resort and still today Bad Soden can attribute its reputation as a health and spa resort to over 30 thermal and mineral springs located in its vicinity. "The springs of Soden possess a revitalising power all of their own, a peculiar peculiarity. For not only do they have an extraordinary effect on the human body but these waters contain a wealth of microscopic organisms, the like of which is found in no other springs. Do I dare too much when I maintain that the one and the same power found in the spring water, which every moment brings life to millions of creatures, could employ the same force in the minutest cells of the human organism and in so doing arouse a fervent, vibrant energy?...(H.G. Dombrowski an T. Klosowska: Archives of Physical Therapy 1964)

As far back as the 16th century, one spoke of a warm bathing spring, a fountain of health, sometimes known as the milk spring. However there were times when these waters were said to have disappeared. This was so for in the Thirty Years War the farmers of Soden stemmed the flow of the warm springs by covering them with a millstone and a thick layer of earth with the intention of preventing their home from becoming a place of pilgrimage for wounded, warlike mercenaries. In the confusion of war, knowledge about this valuable spring was then actually lost. It was only many years later, in the December of 1700, that a farmer re-discovered the fountain of health.

A few months later, the Frankfurt physician, Dr. Gladbach, published the findings of his research on the warm fountain of health in Soden and it was only a question of waiting until 1702 for the first spa visitors to arrive. Slowly but surely Soden began to be recognised as a spa resort, which reached its zenith in the 19th century. Amongst the famous persoalities who sought out the health-giving waters here were Leo Tolstoy, Felix Mendelsohn-Bartholdy, Tschaikowsky an many more. The year of 1860 has even bee dubbed the Year of the Russians in the chronicles of the spa resort.

When the railway link between Höchst an Bad Soden became operational in 1847, the spa became all at once much more easily accessible for its visitors. The railway was built by the Soden Public Limited Company under the auspices of the von Bethmann family.

In 1849 a Swiss-style Pump House (Kurhaus) was erected at the upper end of the Old Spa Park (Alter Kurpark), a building which was both altered and renovated on several occasions, in 1884, 1897/98 and in 1927. Latter changes and improvements could unfortunately not be justified and in 1971 this building had to be taken down.

Following in its footsteps, however, came the spacious Spa and Congress Centre on 14 august 1982, today the RAMADA-TREFF Hotel. This hotel has a large concert hall and is also able to offer various conference facilities in smaller rooms. In addition, it houses an extraordinary collection of Meissen (Meissen vacation rentals | Meissen travel guide) porcelain which is well worth a visit.

[ source: bad-soden.de ]