Bad Kissingen

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Bad Kissingen is a spa town of Lower Franconia in Bavaria and the capital of the district Bad Kissingen. It is situated on the river Franconian Saale, south of the Rhön Mountains.

Town Structure

In 1972 some originally separate villages were gathered together administratively and became part of Bad Kissingen. So today Bad Kissingen has the following Stadtteile (parts of the town):

Bad Kissingen town centre (17.010)
Albertshausen (625)
Arnshausen (1.310)
Garitz (5.623)
Hausen (1.824)
Kleinbrach (515)
Poppenroth (1.073)
Reiterswiesen (2.238)
Winkels (1.417)

(Number of inhabitants in brackets)

History

In 801, Kissingen was mentioned in a document as "chizzicha" for the first time. Kissingen built up a reputation as a spa in the 16th century; in 1883, it was officially declared a spa by King Ludwig II, so that the name Kissingen turned into Bad Kissingen (with Bad meaning spa).

Many historical personalities were on a health cure in Bad Kissingen, such as Otto von Bismarck and Princess Elisabeth of Bavaria. An attempt on Bismarck's life was made in Bad Kissingen in 1874; in 1877, Bismarck described the program of his foreign policy in the Kissinger Diktat.

Bad Kissingen is perhaps best known as the site of a climactic clash between the Prussian and Bavarian armies during the German Campaign of the Austro-Prussian War on July 10, 1866, an engagement often referred to as the Battle of Kissingen, which lasted for more than twelve hours and cost several thousand casualties.

Famous inhabitants of Bad Kissingen

Richard Braungart (* 4. Dezember 1839; † 4. April 1916), Professor in Weihenstephan 1869 - 1894
Oskar Panizza (* 12. November 1853; † 28. September 1921), physician and writer
Julius Döpfner (* 26. August 1913; † 24. Juli 1976), cardinal and arch bishop
Jack Steinberger (* 25. Mai 1921), Nobel prize in physics
Günter Noris (* 5. Juni 1935), band leader
Rainer Holzschuh (* 17. Juni 1944), sports journalist

Henry Kissinger's ancestors derived their name from this town. The name derives from the Old High German chizzicha (first recorded in 801), meaning "sour bubbly water", a description of the town's mineral water.

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