Bad Homburg vor der Höhe

: "Also see: Homburg".Infobox German Location
type = town
name = Bad Homburg vor der Höhe
name_local =
image_coa = Wappen Bad Homburg vor der Höhe.svg

state = Hesse
regbzk = Darmstadt
district = Hochtaunuskreis
population = 52081
population_as_of = 2005-01-01
population_ref =
area = 51.17
elevation = 137
elevationmax = 250
lat_deg = 50 | lat_min = 13 | lat_sec=0 | lat_hem = N
lon_deg = 8 | lon_min = 36 | lon_sec=0 | lon_hem = E
postal_code = 61348, 61350, 61352
area_code = 06172
licence = HG
mayor = Ursula Jungherr (CDU)
website = [http://www.bad-homburg.de/ bad-homburg.de]

Bad Homburg vor der Höhe (official: "Bad Homburg v.d. Höhe") is the main town of the Hochtaunuskreis, Hesse, Germany, on the southern slope of the Taunus, bordering among others Frankfurt and Oberursel. The town's formal name is "Bad Homburg vor der Höhe" (translated as Bad Homburg at the foot of the hills, to distinguish it from other places of the same name), abbreviated as Bad Homburg v.d.H.

Elevation: 130 to 250 m in the town (128 to 683 m in the whole area); Position: 50° 13’ 45” N, 8° 36’ 43” E; Population: 52000.

The town is best known for its medically used mineral waters and spa (hence the prefix "Bad", "bath"), and for its casino.

Today, Bad Homburg is again one of the wealthiest towns in Germany, in part thanks to its vicinity near Frankfurt, as many of the directors and employees of the Frankfurt banks live in Bad Homburg. (The Hochtaunuskreis and the Landkreis Starnberg regularly compete for the "title" of the wealthiest district in Germany.)

As of 2004, the town's marketing slogan was: "Champagnerluft und Tradition" (Champagne air and tradition).

History

Middle Ages origins

Local tradition holds that Bad Homburg's documented history began with the mention of the "Villa Tidenheim" in the Lorsch codex, connected with the year 782. This "Villa Tidenheim" was equated with the Old Town, called "Dietigheim". This connection is also reflected in street names. Local historian, Rüdiger Kurth, doubted these traditional stories based on his study of written sources and local factors. In 2002 Kurth initiated archaeological digs by the University of Frankfurt under the leadership of Professor Joachim Henning. The excavations showed that there was no evidence of settlement between the beginning of the Christian Era and the 13th century. It appears that the historical record which makes mention of Wortwin (or Ortwin) von Hohenberch – as Homburg's founder – as a documentary witness in Eberbach in about 1180 is the first concrete evidence of the town's existence.As early as 1962, in a dig under the "Hirschgangflügel" ("Hart Stalking Wing") at Bad Homburg's "Schloss" (stately home), two burnt layers were discovered, which the man conducting the dig, Günther Binding, took as evidence of two former castles having been built on the site one after the other, but each having burnt down later.

Further digs by the University of Frankfurt at Bad Homburg's "Schloss" in April 2006, once again initiated by Kurth and under Professor Henning's leadership, led to the discovery that it was actually only one burnt layer from a half-timbered building – possibly a castle with towers – which from ceramic finds could be dated to the 12th or 13th century. Most likely this building stood in connection with Wortwin's "castle". Quite possibly, though, a further cultural layer from an even earlier time lies waiting to be discovered underneath these remains. Investigations using methods from natural science (carbon-14 dating and analysis) will show whether the dating can be made more precise.

Homberg acquired market rights about 1330, but the document granting these rights is said to have been lost.

The town's name, "Homburg", comes from the "Hohenberg" Castle. The postfix "vor der Höhe" was probably first recorded in a document in 1399.

The Hessen-Homburg noble family of landgraves was founded with Friedrich I of Hessen-Homburg. Friedrich II (1680 - 1708) attained fame as Prince of Homburg. In 1866, as a result of the Austro-Prussian War, Homburg became Prussian territory.

pa town and imperial residence

With the coming of the spa industry in the mid 19th century, which profited greatly from the casino built in town, the town changed into an internationally famous spa town. Bad Homburg was particularly favoured by Russian nobility for its baths.

The spa industry began with the discovery of the "Elisabethenbrunnen" ("Brunnen" is German for "spring") in 1834 (although the designation "Bad" was not conferred until 1912). The first spa building and the first casino in Homburg were built in 1841–1842 by the brothers François (1806–1877) and Louis Blanc (1806–1852), who later took over the Casino in Monte Carlo, which is why the Homburg Casino is sometimes called the "Mother of Monte Carlo". In 1860, the town was connected with Frankfurt by a railway line, the "Homburger Bahn".

In 1888, Bad Homburg became known throughout the German Empire because Kaiser Wilhelm II declared Bad Homburg's "Schloss" an Imperial summer residence, and later financed the building of the Church of the Redeemer (Erlöserkirche) close by. His mother, too, Victoria, the old emperor's widow — and Queen Victoria's eldest daughter — lived there for several years. King Edward VII was also often a guest. It was he who introduced the Homburg hat and permanent turn-up trousers. He also underwent fasting cures at Homburg 32 times.The "Bad Homburger Golf Club 1899 e.V." in the "Röderweisen" in Dornholzhausen — nowadays part of Bad Homburg — is Germany's oldest golf club. It had its beginnings in the Bad Homburg Spa Park ("Kurpark"), where the old clubhouse and even playable parts of the old golf course may still be found.

Not far away stands the Russian Chapel — actually more properly called All Hallows' Church — an Eastern Orthodox church whose first stone was laid in the Russian Imperial couple's presence on 16 October 1896, although they did not attend when it was consecrated almost three years later .

King Chulalongkorn of Siam (Thailand) sent a Thai garden pavilion in gratitude for a successful cure. It was erected in 1914.

Horex was a well known German motorcycle brand of the "Horex - Fahrzeugbau AG", founded in 1923 in Bad Homburg by Fritz Kleemann.

Modern age

While the spa business experienced a long-term decline in the wake of the two world wars, the town gained importance by becoming the site for headquarters of various authorities and administrative bodies. By autumn 1946, the military government had already ordered the founding of bizonal authorities. Bad Homburg was chosen as the seat of the financial administrative centre. On 23 July 1947, the Bizone Economic Council instituted the "Special Money and Credit Centre" here in preparation for currency reform. The centre was headed by Ludwig Erhard. After the Federal Republic of Germany – West Germany – was founded with its capital in Bonn, the Federal Debt Administration ("Bundesschuldenverwaltung"), the Office for Security Adjustment ("Amt für Wertpapierbereinigung") and the Federal Equalization Office ("Bundesausgleichsamt") stayed in Bad Homburg.

In the 20th century, Bad Homburg became a favourite residential area among the upper classes. On 30 November 1989, one of its members, Alfred Herrhausen, the head of the Deutsche Bank, was killed and his driver was injured by a car bomb in Bad Homburg. It was alleged that this was an attack by the Red Army Faction, though this has never been conclusively proven.

Panorama

Coat of arms

Bad Homburg's civic coat of arms was granted in 1903 but is said to date from the 15th century on the basis of seals known from that time, although they show a saltire rather than the two adzes seen today (the saltire might be two unclear adzes). The reason for the adzes in the arms is not known; it is possibly dialectal canting. The colours, with silver adzes in a blue field, have been in use at least since 1621. [http://www.ngw.nl/int/dld/b/bad-homb.htm]

Schools

* Kaiserin-Friedrich-Gymnasium
* Humboldtschule
* Gesamtschule am Gluckenstein
* Maria-Ward-Schule
* Feldbergschule (branch Bad Homburg)

Partner towns

* Chur, Switzerland
* Dubrovnik, Croatia
* Exeter, United Kingdom
* Mariánské Lázně, Czech Republic, In 1953, the town adopted the ethnic Germans driven out of this town, later also partnership
* Mayrhofen, Austria
* Peterhof, Russia
* Terracina, Italy
* Mondorf-les-Bains, Luxembourg
* Cabourg, France

Prospective partnerships

* Greiz, Thuringia
* Niš, Serbia

External links

* [http://www.bad-homburg.de Bad Homburg]