Bad Pyrmont (, also: ;

West Low German Low Saxon, also known as West Low German ( nds, Nedersassisch, Nedersaksies; nl, Nedersaksisch) are a group of Low German dialects spoken in parts of the Netherlands, northwestern Germany and southern Denmark (in North Schleswig by parts o ...

: ) is a town in the district of Hamelin-Pyrmont, in

Lower Saxony Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...

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 betwee ...

, with a population close to 19,000. It is located on the river Emmer, about west 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 o ...

. Bad Pyrmont is a popular spa resort that gained its reputation as a fashionable place for princely vacations in the 17th and 18th centuries. The town is also the center of the

Religious Society of Friends Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abili ...

(Quakers) in Germany.

History

Formerly called Pyrmont, it was the seat of a small county during much of the Middle Ages. The county gained its independence from the in 1194. Independence was maintained until the extinction of the comital line in 1494, when the county was inherited by the . In 1557, the county was inherited by

Lippe Lippe () is a ''Kreis'' (district) in the east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Herford, Minden-Lübbecke, Höxter, Paderborn, Gütersloh, and district-free Bielefeld, which forms the region Ostwestfalen-Lippe. ...

, then by the County of Gleichen in 1583. In 1625, the county became part of the much larger County of Waldeck through inheritance. In 1668, the (Imperial Chamber Court) ruled against the Bishopric of Paderborn's claims that Pyrmont had been collateral in a loan, confirming the Count of Waldeck's rights over Pyrmont, who ceded the of Lügde — previously the county's capital — to the bishopric in compensation. In January 1712, the Count of Waldeck and Pyrmont was elevated to hereditary prince by

Emperor Charles VI Charles VI (german: Karl; la, Carolus; 1 October 1685 – 20 October 1740) was Holy Roman Emperor and ruler of the Austrian Habsburg monarchy from 1711 until his death, succeeding his elder brother, Joseph I. He unsuccessfully claimed the thron ...

, the count having combined the two titles the previous year. For a brief period, from 1805 to 1812, Pyrmont was again a separate principality as a result of inheritance and partition after the death of the previous prince, but the two parts were united again in 1812. The principality of Waldeck-Pyrmont retained its status after the

Congress of Vienna The Congress of Vienna (, ) of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon ...

of 1815 and became a member of the

German Confederation The German Confederation (german: Deutscher Bund, ) was an association of 39 predominantly German-speaking sovereign states in Central Europe. It was created by the Congress of Vienna in 1815 as a replacement of the former Holy Roman Empire, w ...

. In 1813, the inhabitants of Pyrmont began to protest at their lack of autonomy within Waldeck–Pyrmont and the separate constitutional nature of the two territories was confirmed the following year, until a formal union was established in 1849. From 1868 onward, the principality was administered by Prussia, but retained its legislative sovereignty. Prussian administration served to reduce administrative costs for the small state and was based on a ten-year contract that was repeatedly renewed. In 1871 it became a constituent state of the new

German Empire The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...

. At the end of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, during the

German Revolution German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

the prince abdicated and Waldeck–Pyrmont became a free state within the

Weimar Republic The Weimar Republic (german: link=no, Weimarer Republik ), officially named the German Reich, was the government of Germany from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a Constitutional republic, constitutional federal republic for the first time in ...

. On 30 November 1921, following a local plebiscite, the town and district of Pyrmont were detached and incorporated into the Prussian Province of Hanover, with Waldeck following into the Prussian province of Hesse-Nassau in 1929.

Economy

As a spa town, Bad Pyrmont's economy is heavily geared towards tourism. Bad Pyrmonter mineral water is bottled in Bad Pyrmont.

Attractions

Bad Pyrmont features a large , with a sizeable outdoor palm garden. The

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including ...

castle (1706–10) is part of a substantial complex of fortifications dating from the 16th century. The castle now houses the Museum of Municipal and Spa History.

Notable people

Emil Albes Friedrich Emil Albes (30 October 1861 – 22 March 1923) was a German actor and film director of the silent era.Giesen p.171 Selected filmography * ''The Traitress'' (1911) * '' Poor Jenny'' (1912) * ''The Dance of Death'' (1912) * '' Veritas Vi ...

(1861–1923), German actor *

Max Born Max Born (; 11 December 1882 – 5 January 1970) was a German physicist and mathematician who was instrumental in the development of quantum mechanics. He also made contributions to solid-state physics and optics and supervised the work of a ...

(1882–1970),

Physicist A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate cau ...

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...

winner and grandfather of

Olivia Newton-John Dame Olivia Newton-John (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British-Australian singer, actress and activist. She was a four-time Grammy Awards, Grammy Award winner whose music career included 15 top-ten singles, including 5 number-one s ...

, spent his last years in Bad Pyrmont * Rainer Brüninghaus (born 1949), German composer and jazz pianist * Ferdinand Büchner (1823–1906), German flautist and composer * Friedrich Drake (1805–1882), German sculptor * Paul-Gerhard Klumbies (born 1957), German protestant theologian * Caren Marks (born 1964), German politician (SPD) * Johannes Schraps (born 1983), German politician (SPD) *

Sigrid Sternebeck Sigrid Sternebeck (born 19 June 1949) is a German convicted murderer. She was a member of the Red Army Faction (RAF), and participated in the kidnapping and murder of Hanns-Martin Schleyer, including the murder of his driver and three policemen, ...

(born 1949), former member of the Red Army Faction * Theodor Stroefer (1843–1927), German publisher * Thomas Webel (born 1954), German politician (CDU) *

Helmut Wildt Helmut Wildt (9 April 1922 – 4 October 2007) was a German stage, film and television actor.Goble p.502 Selected filmography * ''Black Gravel'' (1961) * ''Life Begins at Eight'' (1962) * ''The Lightship'' (1963) * ''Piccadilly Zero Hour 12'' ( ...

(1922–2007), German actor * Detlef Zühlke (born 1947), German engineer and professor

Gallery

File:Bad Pyrmont Kasteel Pyrmont Castle Schloss Pyrmont Deutschland Germany Duitsland.jpg, Pyrmont Castle File:Bad Pyrmont Hylligen Born Heilige bron Holy source fountain Avenue Hauptallee.jpg, Hylligen Born (Holy bath) File:Bad Pyrmont Avenue Hauptallee Duitsland Germany.jpg, The Avenue File:Bad Pyrmont Königin-Emma-Platz Duitsland Germany.jpg, Königin-Emma-Platz (Queen Emma square) File:Bad Pyrmont Zweyte Ansicht der Promenade.jpg, The Avenue between the baths and Pyrmont, 1780 File:Schloss Pyrmont 1900.jpg, Pyrmont Castle 1900 File:Quelle Pyrmont 1900.jpg, Pyrmont baths, 1900 File:Georg Friedrich, count of Waldeck, painted by Johann Valentin Tischbein, ca 1750.jpg, Georg Fredrik ca 1750

Twin towns – sister cities

Bad Pyrmont is twinned with: *

Anzio Anzio (, also , ) is a town and '' comune'' on the coast of the Lazio region of Italy, about south of Rome. Well known for its seaside harbour setting, it is a fishing port and a departure point for ferries and hydroplanes to the Pontine Isl ...

, Italy

References

External links

Official website

Multimedia

CBC Radio reports on surrender of the town, 22 April 1945
{{Authority control Spa towns in Germany 1494 disestablishments States and territories established in 1805 1812 disestablishments in Germany 1849 disestablishments in Germany Hameln-Pyrmont Principality of Waldeck and Pyrmont