Friedrichsbrunn is a village and a former municipality in the
district of Harz, in
Saxony-Anhalt,
Germany. Since 23 November 2009, it is part of the town
Thale
Thale () is a town in the Harz district in Saxony-Anhalt in central Germany. Located at the steep northeastern rim of the Harz mountain range, it is known for the scenic Bode Gorge stretching above the town centre.
Geography
The town is situat ...
.
History
At the location of Friedrichsbrunn there has been a well and a resting place along the road between
Quedlinburg and
Nordhausen since the 11th century. In 1680, a Prussian border watch station was built at the well, which was known as the ''
Ungetreuer Brunnen'' (Unfaithful Well). Between 1773 and 1775, King
Friedrich the Great settled the area with 50 families and the place took the name Friedrichsbrunn.
The first tourists spent their summer here in 1884. Before
World War I, two
sanitorium
A sanatorium (from Latin '' sānāre'' 'to heal, make healthy'), also sanitarium or sanitorium, are antiquated names for specialised hospitals, for the treatment of specific diseases, related ailments and convalescence. Sanatoriums are often ...
s, three larger hotels, and numerous bed and breakfasts were built in Friedrichsbrunn and it became known as a health resort. During the world wars, these facilities were used as military hospitals.
In 1949, Friedrichsbrunn was recognized as a health and winter sports resort. Up to 1990, as many as 20,000 vacationers and patients came here each year. After the fall of the
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall (german: Berliner Mauer, ) was a guarded concrete barrier that encircled West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, separating it from East Berlin and East Germany (GDR). Construction of the Berlin Wall was commenced by the governme ...
, mass tourism declined.
Former municipalities in Saxony-Anhalt
Thale
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