Bad Oeynhausen () 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 in 1668. H ...

on the southern edge of the

Wiehengebirge The Wiehen Hills (german: Wiehengebirge, , also locally, just ''Wiehen'') are a hill range in North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony in Germany. The hills run from west to east like a long finger away from the main upland area of the Lower Saxon ...

in the district of

Minden-Lübbecke Minden-Lübbecke is a ''Kreis'' (district) in the northeastern part of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Diepholz, Nienburg, Schaumburg, Lippe, Herford, Osnabrück. Geography This is the northernmost district of North R ...

in the East-Westphalia-Lippe region of

North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a States of Germany, state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more tha ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. The closest larger towns are

Bielefeld Bielefeld () is a city in the Ostwestfalen-Lippe Region in the north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population of 341,755, it is also the most populous city in the administrative region (''Regierungsbezirk'') of Detmold and the ...

(39 kilometres southwest) and

Hanover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...

(80 km east).

History

In the village of Bergkirchen, which belongs to Bad Oeynhausen, a wellspring sanctuary existed in pre-Christian (Saxon) times at the local crossing of the

, which was replaced in the 9th century by a church. Today's church is a subsequent building. On the church and the downhill-situated

Widukind Widukind, also known as Wittekind, was a leader of the Saxons and the chief opponent of the Frankish king Charlemagne during the Saxon Wars from 777 to 785. Charlemagne ultimately prevailed, organized Saxony as a Frankish province, massacred tho ...

spring plates explain this further. A few metres from the church a 13th-century timbered homestead can still be found. In 753

Pepin the Short the Short (french: Pépin le Bref; – 24 September 768), also called the Younger (german: Pippin der Jüngere), was King of the Franks from 751 until his death in 768. He was the first Carolingian to become king. The younger was the son of ...

, according to the

Royal Frankish Annals The ''Royal Frankish Annals'' (Latin: ''Annales regni Francorum''), also called the ''Annales Laurissenses maiores'' ('Greater Lorsch Annals'), are a series of annals composed in Latin in the Carolingian Francia, recording year-by-year the state ...

, stopped over ''ad locum qui dicitur Rimiae'', so that Rehme is commonly accepted as the oldest part of town. The

origin myth An origin myth is a myth that describes the origin of some feature of the natural or social world. One type of origin myth is the creation or cosmogonic myth, a story that describes the creation of the world. However, many cultures have stor ...

of Bad Oeynhausen relates that in 1745 a local farmer named Sültemeyer noticed that after his pigs had wallowed in nearby mud they had a salty crust on their backs and he decided to investigate the source. After public awareness of this finding, King

Frederick II of Prussia Frederick II (german: Friedrich II.; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was King in Prussia from 1740 until 1772, and King of Prussia from 1772 until his death in 1786. His most significant accomplishments include his military successes in the Sil ...

ordered the construction of a saltworks, which was named "Royal Saline Neusalzwerk". Today's Sültemeyer Fountain (colloquial: Pig-Fountain), in the city centre, is a reminder of the city's beginning. Sültemeier Brunnen

After 1830, mining captain Carl Baron of Oeynhausen (1795–1865) oversaw drilling in today's spa garden area in search of salt deposits, but instead found a thermal salt spring in 1845. Quickly the healing abilities of this spring were discovered and first baths were built in the community, which now was called "Neusalzwerk near Rehme". In 1848 King

Frederick William IV of Prussia Frederick William IV (german: Friedrich Wilhelm IV.; 15 October 17952 January 1861), the eldest son and successor of Frederick William III of Prussia, reigned as King of Prussia from 7 June 1840 to his death on 2 January 1861. Also referred to ...

renamed it to "Royal Bath (German: Bad) Oeynhausen", and this name was retained after receiving its own town charter in 1860. The opening of the

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...

Minden Minden () is a middle-sized town in the very north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, the greatest town between Bielefeld and Hanover. It is the capital of the district (''Kreis'') of Minden-Lübbecke, which is part of the region of Detm ...

railway line in 1849 connected the city with railroad network. The growth of spa activities and the town's development continued into World War II. Among other things the Kurpark (spa garden), according to plans by

Peter Joseph Lenné Peter Joseph Lenné (the Younger) (29 September 1789 – 23 January 1866) was a Prussian gardener and landscape architect. As director general of the Royal Prussian palaces and parks in Potsdam and Berlin, his work shaped the development of 19 ...

, and the Kurhaus (spa hotel) in 1908 (from 1980 to 2002 a Casino was located here; today called the Kaiserpalais, it hosts a Varieté, a noble restaurant and a discothèque) were constructed. At the beginning of the 20th century residential houses for the

bourgeoisie The bourgeoisie ( , ) is a social class, equivalent to the middle or upper middle class. They are distinguished from, and traditionally contrasted with, the proletariat by their affluence, and their great cultural and financial capital. They ...

were built around the spa garden. The extraordinary conglomeration of different architectural styles of the spa garden's buildings and the surrounding mansions bestowed Bad Oeynhausen the unofficial title "Museum for the Architecture of the 19th Century". One of the most famous buildings, the "Farne-Villa" was replaced by a new building in 1969. In the first half of the 20th century additional thermal salt springs were drilled. Among these the ''Jordansprudel'', drilled in 1926, is best known and with a capacity of 6000 L/min and a total height of up to 40 m it is the world's highest carbonated thermal salt spring and de facto the town's landmark. Under

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

, Bad Oeynhausen hosted a synod of the

Confessing Church The Confessing Church (german: link=no, Bekennende Kirche, ) was a movement within German Protestantism during Nazi Germany that arose in opposition to government-sponsored efforts to unify all Protestant churches into a single pro-Nazi German E ...

, as well as the home congregation to Jakob Emil Karl Koch, a leading member. The

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

tank factory of the town was bombed on 30 March 1945. Post-war, the town hosted the Control Commission for Germany – British Element (CCG/BE), the

military government A military government is generally any form of government that is administered by military forces, whether or not this government is legal under the laws of the jurisdiction at issue, and whether this government is formed by natives or by an occup ...

for the

British Zone of Occupation Germany was already de facto occupied by the Allies from the real fall of Nazi Germany in World War II on 8 May 1945 to the establishment of the East Germany on 7 October 1949. The Allies (United States, United Kingdom, Soviet Union, and France ...

and served as the

British Army of the Rhine There have been two formations named British Army of the Rhine (BAOR). Both were originally occupation forces in Germany, one after the First World War and the other after the Second World War. Both formations had areas of responsibility located a ...

headquarters. The town was returned to local control in 1954 and spa activities resumed. In 1973, the seven surrounding municipalities Wulferdingsen, Volmerdingsen, Werste, Eidinghaisen, Dehme, Rehme and Lohe of the former "Amt Rehme" were merged with Bad Oeynhausen into one commune. The "State-owned Spa Bad Oeynhausen" (german: Staatsbad), property of the state of

, was municipalised in 2004.

Geography

Bad Oeynhausen is located on the left bank of the

Weser The Weser () is a river of Lower Saxony in north-west Germany. It begins at Hannoversch Münden through the confluence of the Werra and Fulda. It passes through the Hanseatic city of Bremen. Its mouth is further north against the ports of Bre ...

river. It has the world's most highly carbonated thermal saltwater fountain, the ''Jordansprudel''. On calm days the fountain gets up to 40 metres high. The water of the spring is believed to have many medicinal qualities, giving rise to a number of health spas.

Land use

A large percentage of the area is used for agriculture: This applies to the entire district of

, where the majority of the land is used for agriculture.

Districts

Bad Oeynhausen consists of 8 districts:

Climate

The climate in Bad Oeynhausen is controlled by the

Oceanic Climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ( ...

. The values are based on the ones from Herford (Temperature) and the ones in Bad Oeynhausen (Precipitation)

Notable buildings

Bad Oeynhausen built a mall called the "Werre-Park". It gets its name from the nearby river

Werre The Werre is a river in the Detmold region (Regierungsbezirk) of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, left tributary of the Weser. Its source is near Horn-Bad Meinberg. The Werre flows generally north through the towns Detmold, Lage, Bad Salzuflen, H ...

and was opened on 1 April 1998. Bad Oeynhausen Werre-Park 2011

Demographics

¹ census result

Health treatment facilities

There are a number of health treatment facilities in Bad Oeynhausen. The Maternus Rehabilitation Clinic deals with rehabilitation for orthopedic, degenerative, and neurological conditions. The

Klinik am Korso Klinik, (sometimes called The Klinik), is an industrial music band from Belgium, originally formed around 1982 by electro-synthpop practitioner Marc Verhaeghen, who is the only constant member. History Marc Verhaeghen originally formed Klinik ...

deals with eating disorders. The Median Rehabilitation Clinic specializes on rehabilitation for Muslim patients. The Heart and Diabetes Center North Rhine-Westphalia, an institution of the Ruhr University Hospitals, is a world-leading institution for the treatment of cardiac, circulatory and metabolic diseases. Just outside the city lies the Klinik Bad Oexen, a rehabilitation center for cancer patients.

Twin towns – sister cities

Bad Oeynhausen is twinned with: *

Fismes Fismes () is a commune in the Marne department in the Grand Est region of north-eastern France. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Fismois'' or ''Fismoises'' The commune has been awarded three flowers in the '' Competition of cities ...

, France *

Inowrocław Inowrocław (; german: Hohensalza; before 1904: Inowrazlaw; archaic: Jungleslau) is a city in central Poland with a total population of 70,713 in December 2021. It is situated in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship since 1999, previously in the By ...

, Poland

Notable people

August von Borries August Friedrich Wilhelm von Borries (27 January 1852 in Bad Oeynhausen – 14 February 1906) was one of Germany's most influential railway engineers, who was primarily concerned with developments in steam locomotives. Von Borries graduated from ...

(1852–1906), railway engineer * Wilhelm Schlüter, politician (1871–1930), (

SPD The Social Democratic Party of Germany (german: Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands, ; SPD, ) is a centre-left social democratic political party in Germany. It is one of the major parties of contemporary Germany. Saskia Esken has been t ...

) *

Fritz Tarnow Fritz Tarnow (April 13, 1880 in Bad Oeynhausen, Province of Westphalia – October 23, 1951) was a Social Democrat trade unionist and Reichstag deputy during the Weimar Republic. Tarnow was the son of a carpenter and attended elementary school in ...

(1880–1951), trade unionist and politician (

) *

Friedrich Altemeier Friedrich Altemeier (4 June 1886 – 18 September 1968) was a German World War I flying ace credited with 21 confirmed aerial victories. Due to his distinguished faithful military service and piloting skills, he became one of the test pilots for Ge ...

(1886–1968), fighter pilot in WWI *

Walther Ludwig Walther Ludwig (17 March 1902 – 15 May 1981) was a German operatic lyric tenor, particularly associated with Mozart roles and Schubert lieder. Biography He was born on 17 March 1902 in Bad Oeynhausen. He first studied medicine in Freiburg befo ...

(1902–1981), opera singer (tenor) * F. Wolfgang Schnell (1913–2006), agronomist *

Siegfried Linkwitz Siegfried Linkwitz (November 23, 1935 – September 11, 2018) was a German American engineer who was noted co-inventor of the Linkwitz–Riley filter along with Russ Riley. He submitted several important technical papers to the ''Journal of t ...

(born 1935), engineer * Christian Berg (born 1966), author and composer *

Torben Giehler Torben Giehler (born 1973) is a German abstract artist. Giehler was born in 1973 in Bad Oeynhausen, West Germany. He is a graduate of the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. In 1999, he attended the New York Studio Program. He is the ...

(born 1973), painter *

Arne Friedrich Arne Friedrich (born 29 May 1979) is a German football executive and former player who played as a defender. He formerly was the sporting director of Hertha BSC. He played 82 times for the Germany national team. Friedrich was a very versat ...

(born 1979), former footballer of German national team

Associated with the town

(1789–1866), landscape architect, designed the park * Eduard Hoffmann (1832–1894), entrepreneur *

Friedrich Christoph Pelizaeus Friedrich Christoph Pelizaeus (3 April 1851 – 11 August 1942) was a German balneologist and neurologist who was a native of Rietberg. In 1874 he earned his medical doctorate from the University of Würzburg, and afterwards served as an assistant ...

(1851–1942), neurologist * Karl Koch (1876–1951), Superintendent, President of the

Evangelical Church of Westphalia The Protestant Church of Westphalia (german: Evangelische Kirche von Westfalen, EKvW) is a United Protestant church body in North Rhine-Westphalia. The seat of the praeses (german: Präses, the head of the church) is Bielefeld. The EKvW emerged ...

* Kurt Thomas (1904–1973), composer and choirmaster *

Reinhart Koselleck Reinhart Koselleck (23 April 1923 – 3 February 2006) was a German historian. He is widely considered to be one of the most important historians of the twentieth century. He occupied a distinctive position within history, working outside of any p ...

(1923–2006), historian *

Frank Gehry Frank Owen Gehry, , FAIA (; ; born ) is a Canadian-born American architect and designer. A number of his buildings, including his private residence in Santa Monica, California, have become world-renowned attractions. His works are considered ...

(born 1929), architect, designed two buildings for Bad Oeynhausen *

Jochen Fahrenberg Jochen Fahrenberg (born 18 September 1937 in Berlin) is a German psychologist in the fields of Personality, psychophysiology and philosophy of science. Biography Jochen Fahrenberg studied psychology, sociology and philosophy in Freiburg, London ...

(born 1937), personality psychologist and psychophysiologist *

Ingo Petzke Ingo Petzke (born 18 September 1947 in Belm near Osnabrück in Germany) is an internationally acknowledged German film scholar, filmmaker and author. Ingo Petzke grew up in Osnabrück. He attended the Münster and Bochum universities and receiv ...

(born 1947), filmmaker and author * Roland Pröll (born 1949), pianist, conductor, composer * René Müller (born 1959), footballer

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Towns in North Rhine-Westphalia Spa towns in Germany Minden-Lübbecke