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Bad Homburg
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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 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.
Spa 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.
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 had a years-long downswing in the wake of the two world wars, the town gained importance by becoming the headquarters of various authorities and administrative bodies. Already by autumn in 1946, the military government ordered the founding of bizonal authorities. The seat of the financial administrative centre became Bad Homburg. Here, on 23 July 1947, the Bizone Economic Council instituted in preparation for currency reform the "Special Money and Credit Centre", whose leader Ludwig Erhard became. 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 crust. 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.
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.
Schools
Partner towns Chur, Switzerland
Dubrovnik, Croatia
Exeter, United Kingdom
Mariánské Lázne, 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
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