Königstein im Taunus (, ) is a health
spa
A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water (sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa health treatments are known as balneotherapy. The belief in the curative powers of mineral waters and hot springs goes back to pre ...
and lies on the thickly wooded slopes of the
Taunus
The Taunus () is a mountain range in Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, located north west of Frankfurt and north of Wiesbaden. The tallest peak in the range is '' Großer Feldberg'' at 878 m; other notable peaks are '' Kleiner Feldberg' ...
in
Hesse
Hesse or Hessen ( ), officially the State of Hesse (), is a States of Germany, state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt, which is also the country's principal financial centre. Two other major hist ...
, Germany. The town is part of the
Frankfurt Rhein-Main urban area. Owing to its advantageous location for both scenery and transport on the edge of the
Frankfurt Rhine Main Region
The Rhine-Main Metropolitan Region, often simply referred to as Frankfurt Rhine-Main, Frankfurt Rhine-Main area or Rhine-Main area (German: ''Rhein-Main-Gebiet'', ''Frankfurt/Rhein-Main'' or ''FrankfurtRheinMain'', abbreviated FRM), is the third-l ...
, Königstein is a favourite residential town. Neighbouring places are
Kronberg im Taunus
Kronberg im Taunus (, ) is a town in the Hochtaunuskreis district, Hesse, Germany and part of the Frankfurt Rhein-Main Regional Authority, Frankfurt Rhein-Main urban area. Before 1866, it was in the Duchy of Nassau; in that year the whole Duchy w ...
,
Glashütten,
Schwalbach am Taunus
Schwalbach am Taunus, a town in the Main-Taunus-Kreis district, in Hesse, Germany, population about 14,000, is a dormitory town to Frankfurt, situated some 11 km east of Schwalbach. There is evidence of human habitation dating back to Neolit ...
,
Bad Soden am Taunus and
Kelkheim.
Geography
Neighbouring communities
Königstein borders – from northwest to east – on the communities of
Glashütten,
Schmitten,
Oberursel
Oberursel (Taunus) (, , in contrast to " Lower Ursel") is a town in Germany and part of the Frankfurt Rhein-Main urban area. It is located to the north west of Frankfurt, in the Hochtaunuskreis county. It is the 13th largest town in Hesse. In ...
, and
Kronberg (all four in the Hochtaunuskreis), and from southeast to southwest on
Schwalbach,
Bad Soden
Bad Soden am Taunus (, ), commonly known as Bad Soden, is a town and spa in the Main-Taunus-Kreis, Hessen, Germany. It had a population of 22,563 , up from 21,412 in 2005.
Information
Bad Soden is a residential town for commuters working in F ...
and
Kelkheim (all three in the
Main-Taunus-Kreis).
Constituent communities
Besides the main town, which bears the same name as the whole, Königstein has three outlying centres: Falkenstein, Mammolshain and Schneidhain. Since 2001, Falkenstein has borne the designation (health spa) independently of the town's status as such.
History
Shrouded in legend, the town's founding date is unknown. The name 'Königstein' means 'King stone'. The local legend states that King
Chlodwig
Louis is the French form of the Old Frankish given name Chlodowig and one of two English forms, the other being Lewis ().
Etymology
The name Louis (through the intermediate form Clovis) derives from the Frankish name ᚺᛚᛟᛞᛟᚹ� ...
(466–511), founded the town after building a castle on a hill as well as a chapel.
Königstein had its first documentary mention in 1215, making it likelier that the castle was built around the 12th century for the town's – and the Frankfurt-
Cologne
Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...
commercial road's – security.
Also in that time came the town's first lords, the Counts of Nürings, but they were supplanted in 1239 by the Lords of Hagen-Münzenberg into whose ownership the castle went as an Imperial
fief
A fief (; ) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of feudal alle ...
. The Lords of Hagen-Münzenberg were in turn followed by the Lords of Bolanden-Falkenstein from 1255 to 1418, under whose rule Königstein was granted town rights in 1313. The Lords of Bolanden-Falkenstein were succeeded by the
Lords of Eppstein, who were themselves followed by the
Counts of Stolberg in 1535. It was they who introduced the
Reformation
The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...
to the area.
By 1581, Königstein belonged to the
Electorate of Mainz
The Electorate of Mainz ( or '; ), previously known in English as Mentz and by its French name Mayence, was one of the most prestigious and influential states of the Holy Roman Empire. In the hierarchy of the Catholic Church, the Archbishop-Elec ...
, which had incorporated the old
County
A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...
through a legal dispute. Early in the 17th century, in connection with the
Counterreformation, the castle was remodelled into a mighty fortress, but this newer military stronghold met its end in the
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars () were a series of sweeping military conflicts resulting from the French Revolution that lasted from 1792 until 1802. They pitted French First Republic, France against Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain, Habsb ...
when the French blew it up in 1796, although this may have been unintentional. (Local legend has it that gunpowder was hidden in the castle's well, and a spark from a careless French soldier's pipe started the explosion).
In 1803, Königstein passed to the Principality of
Nassau-Usingen, which itself later merged with Nassau-Weilburg to form the
Duchy of Nassau
The Duchy of Nassau (German language, German: ''Herzogtum Nassau'') was an independent state between 1806 and 1866, located in what became the Germany, German states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse. It was a States of the Confederation of th ...
. By 1866 it was in
Prussia
Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...
n hands, and since 1945, it has been part of Hesse. The three constituent communities mentioned herein were amalgamated with Königstein as part of Hesse's municipal reforms in 1972.
Königstein enjoyed an economic upswing from less wealthy times when the coldwater spa first opened in 1851. It reached its high point just before the
First World War
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
broke out. The designation was granted in 1935, and is still borne by the town, and now also independently by the constituent community of Falkenstei
Jewish health resort and summer residence of the Frankfurt Jews
Königstein was regarded as a "Jewish spa" – this was especially in the era of
National Socialism
Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During Hitler's rise to power, it was frequ ...
a topic. The city became famous as "Jewish spa" mainly due to the high proportions of Jewish guests (for example
Otto Klemperer
Otto Nossan Klemperer (; 14 May 18856 July 1973) was a German conductor and composer, originally based in Germany, and then the United States, Hungary and finally, Great Britain. He began his career as an opera conductor, but he was later bet ...
,
Kurt Hahn
Kurt Matthias Robert Martin Hahn (5 June 1886 – 14 December 1974) was a German educator. He was decisive in founding Stiftung Louisenlund, Schule Schloss Salem, Gordonstoun, Outward Bound, the Duke of Edinburgh's Award, and the first of the U ...
,
Carl Sternheim,
Botho Graef,
Reinhold Lepsius), who stayed in the internationally famous sanitarium Dr. Kohnstamm (the name stuck even after the death of the founder
Oskar Kohnstamm
Dr. Oskar Felix Kohnstamm (13 April 1871, in Pfungstadt – 6 November 1917, in Frankfurt am Main) was a German neurologist and psychiatrist. Initially trained in internal medicine in Giessen and Strassbourg he received his doctors degree in Berl ...
in 1917) and Hotel Cahn, which offered
kosher food
Kosher foods are foods that conform to the Jewish dietary regulations of '' kashrut'' ( dietary law). The laws of ''kashrut'' apply to food derived from living creatures and kosher foods are restricted to certain types of mammals, birds and fish ...
. For these reasons, Königstein was an attractive city to visit for a day trip for many
Jews
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
in
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...
. Königstein became even more easily accessible from Frankfurt am Main in 1902, when the
railway between Königstein and Frankfurt was built.
Königstein was also the residence of prominent Jewish citizens (for example
Mathilde Hannah von Rothschild, Sigmund Kohn-Speyer, L. Albert Hahn, Hermann Wronker,
Albert Katzenellenbogen, Julius Blau, Max Neisser, Adolf Sabor,
Selmar Spier, the family of
Richard Musgrave), who in turn brought their friends and guests there. The poet
Stefan George
Stefan Anton George (; 12 July 18684 December 1933) was a German symbolist poet and a translator of Dante Alighieri, William Shakespeare, Hesiod, and Charles Baudelaire. He is also known for his role as leader of the highly influential liter ...
, e.g., initially often visited his school friend
Oskar Kohnstamm
Dr. Oskar Felix Kohnstamm (13 April 1871, in Pfungstadt – 6 November 1917, in Frankfurt am Main) was a German neurologist and psychiatrist. Initially trained in internal medicine in Giessen and Strassbourg he received his doctors degree in Berl ...
, and then after Kohnstamm's death in 1917 and the sale of Kohnstamm's sanatorium, moved to Königstein to be near his sister, Anna George. In her apartment he received members of the George circle for which special rooms had been rented. These include for example the poet Ernst Morwitz, with whom he went for long walks. George's and Kohnstamm's honored school friend
Karl Wolfskehl had contacts to the Sanatorium Dr. Amelung, whose director had been a friend of Oskar Kohnstamm.
After Kohnstamm's death in 1917 until 1938 the owner of the renowned Kohnstamm sanatorium was Carl Frankl (also Jewish). Carl was a brother of the famous World War I fighter pilot
Wilhelm Frankl (his brother Wilhelm had converted from Judaism to Christianity in order to marry his high school sweetheart).
While in 1937, 24 hotels, hostels and guest houses still refused to do so and accepted Jewish guests, the following year, in 1938, all 54 hotels, hostels and guest houses in Königstein complied with Nazi law and added the following sentence to their advertisements: "All the guest houses are run Jew-free."
Königstein's mayor in 1938 commented on the reputation of Königstein as Jewish spa town in the context of public discussions of a suggested continued existence with the Jewish name kept of the
Sanatorium Dr. Kohnstamm instead of the
Aryanization
Aryanization () was the Nazi term for the seizure of property from Jews and its transfer to non-Jews, and the forced expulsion of Jews from economic life in Nazi Germany, Axis powers, Axis-aligned states, and their occupied territories. It enta ...
preferred by the mayor himself, that (should the name be kept) "the reputation of Königstein as ‘Jews' resort' would yet again be cemented in an irreparable way".
Even after the
Holocaust
The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...
famous people of Jewish descent settled in Königstein. Thus, e.g.
Max Dessoir
Maximilian Dessoir (8 February 1867 – 19 July 1947) was a German philosopher, psychologist and theorist of aesthetics.
Career
Dessoir was born in Berlin, into a German Jewish family, his parents being Ludwig Dessoir (1810-1874), "Germany's ...
moved here for his retirement (he had lived there once before previously in the 'Sanatorium Amelung'), as did Hedwig Fischer (née Landshoff), the wife of publisher
Samuel Fischer. Both Hedwig Fischer and Max Dessoir spent the rest of their lives in Königstein.
Paulette Goddard
Paulette Goddard (born Marion Levy; June 3, 1910 – April 23, 1990) was an American actress and socialite. Her career spanned six decades, from the 1920s to the early 1970s. She was a prominent leading actress during the Golden Age of Hollywood ...
,
Charlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is considered o ...
's wife, was a famous visitor of Königstein after World War II.
Politics
Represented on town council are the
CDU, the
SPD, the
FDP and the
Greens, as well as the ALK (), a citizens' coalition. At the moment, Königstein is governed by an informal alliance of ALK and the CDU.
Coat of arms
Königstein's civic
coat of arms
A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...
was conferred in 1907. It is based on a town seal from 1535. The towers stand for the old Imperial Castle (). The Lords of Bolanden-Falkenstein are remembered in the red and gold field in the upper right (upper left heraldically speaking), as are the Counts of Nürings in the black lion, and indeed the Lords of Eppstein in the three chevron
Economy
Purchasing power
Königstein has an extraordinarily high level of purchasing power. In 2010, their purchasing power index was of 191 percent (compared to the national average of 100 percent) and with that the highest in Germany.
Transport
Königstein is advantageously placed for driving. By way of Federal Highways () B8 and B455, which meet in town at a
roundabout
A roundabout, a rotary and a traffic circle are types of circular intersection or junction in which road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction around a central island, and priority is typically given to traffic already in the junct ...
,
Autobahn
The (; German , ) is the federal controlled-access highway system in Germany. The official term is (abbreviated ''BAB''), which translates as 'federal motorway'. The literal meaning of the word is 'Federal Auto(mobile) Track'.
Much of t ...
en
A 66 (Frankfurt-Höchst interchange),
A 661 (Oberursel interchange) and
A 3 (Niedernhausen interchange) can be reached in a matter of minutes. Königstein's advantageous placement, however, brings problems, too.
Rush hour
A rush hour (American English, British English) or peak hour (Australian English, Indian English) is a part of the day during which traffic congestion on roads and crowding on public transport is at its highest. Normally, this happens twice e ...
traffic, both in the morning and evening, regularly results in heavy
traffic jams on the way into the roundabout.
The nearest airport is
Frankfurt International Airport
Frankfurt Airport ( ) , is Germany's busiest international airport by passenger numbers, located in Frankfurt, Germany's fifth-largest city. Its official name according to the German Aeronautical Information Publication is Frankfurt Main Airpor ...
.
By way of the
Königstein Railway ( – FKE) and bus routes connecting the towns to the
S-Bahn
The S-Bahn ( , ), , is a hybrid urban rail, urban–suburban rail system serving a metropolitan region predominantly in German language, German-speaking countries. Some of the larger S-Bahn systems provide service similar to rapid transit syst ...
stations at
Bad Soden
Bad Soden am Taunus (, ), commonly known as Bad Soden, is a town and spa in the Main-Taunus-Kreis, Hessen, Germany. It had a population of 22,563 , up from 21,412 in 2005.
Information
Bad Soden is a residential town for commuters working in F ...
(
S 3) and
Kronberg (
S 4), Königstein is connected to
Frankfurt Central Station
Frankfurt (Main) Hauptbahnhof, also called Frankfurt Central Station and Frankfurt Main Station, is the busiest train station in the German state of Hesse. Due to its location near the middle of Germany and usage as a transport hub for long an ...
and the whole railway network run by the
Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund
The Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund (RMV) is a List of German transport associations, transport association that covers the Public transport, public transport network of the Frankfurt Rhine-Main, Frankfurt Rhine-Main area in Germany. Its head offi ...
(Rhine-Main Transport Association, RMV), and it has at its disposal
Königstein station and
Schneidhain station. The Frankfurt-Königstein Railway accepts the as fare as far as Königstein im Taunus station, but the RMV only accepts it for fare area 5000 (Frankfurt am Main ''without'' the airport).
Established businesses
Königstein im Taunus is an attractive place for business. The citizens' above-average buying power is a boon to local
retail
Retail is the sale of goods and services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is the sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturers, directly or through a wholes ...
businesses, the range of which is correspondingly great. Furthermore, there are quite a few independent business and personnel consultants, often former managers from industry. Through the takeover of the well known German personnel consultancy Hofmann Herbold & Partner, Königstein was for years headquarters to the biggest international executive search firm
Korn/Ferry
Korn Ferry is a management consulting firm headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1969 and as of 2019, operates in 111 offices in 53 countries and employs 8,198 people worldwide. Korn Ferry operates through four business segm ...
. Several spinoffs brought into being by former Korn/Ferry employees are still in business in town now.
The
Commerzbank
The Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft (shortly known as Commerzbank AG or Commerzbank ) is a European Financial institution, banking institution headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, Hesse, Germany. It offers services to private and entrepreneurial c ...
maintains a large training and conference centre at the edge of town, which is also available to third parties. The
Deutsche Bank
Deutsche Bank AG (, ) is a Germany, German multinational Investment banking, investment bank and financial services company headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany, and dual-listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange.
...
also has one between Falkenstein and Kronberg.
Town partnerships
Königstein im Taunus maintains partnerships with the following towns:
*
Le Cannet
Le Cannet (; ; older ) is a commune of the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France.
Administration
Le Cannet was part of Cannes until 1778, when it was made a separate commune.
Location
Le Cannet is located in the north of Canne ...
-Rocheville, France
*
Königstein,
Saxony
Saxony, officially the Free State of Saxony, is a landlocked state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, and Bavaria, as well as the countries of Poland and the Czech Republic. Its capital is Dresden, and ...
*
Kórnik, Poland
*
Le Mêle-sur-Sarthe, France (with Falkenstein)
There is also a friendship agreement with:
*
Königstein in the
Upper Palatinate
The Upper Palatinate (; , , ) is an administrative district in the east of Bavaria, Germany. It consists of seven districts and 226 municipalities, including three cities.
Geography
The Upper Palatinate is a landscape with low mountains and nume ...
Culture and sightseeing
Regular events
The greatest
folk festival
A folk festival celebrates traditional folk crafts and folk music. This list includes folk festivals worldwide, except those with only a partial focus on folk music or arts. Folk festivals may also feature folk dance or ethnic foods.
Handicra ...
in Königstein is the yearly , or Castle Festival, at the Königstein Castle ruins. Moreover, early in the year, and in the summer, further events also take place there: ("Knights' Tournament"), ("Theatre at the Castle"), as well as various musical and film events. Since 2005 also a series of concerts called ("Middle Ages rock the castle").
As a new open-air highlight, from 2006, the ("Königstein Castle Festival Games") will be held, bringing to the stage a multi-faceted cultural programme in the unique atmosphere of the ruins: ambitious concerts and
opera
Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...
tic and musical productions with large casts under the open sky. As well, business in the outlying communities is shaped by many festivals and activities.
Clubs

The ("Knights of Königstein") have committed themselves to the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...
and since 1998 have been staging a yearly Knights' Tournament with a mediaeval market at Königstein's picturesque castle ruins. The local young people who do this are supported in this endeavour by the club ("Town Watch").
Furthermore, each of Königstein's constituent communities has its own sport or
football club
In association football, a football club (or association football club, alternatively soccer club) is a sports club that acts as an entity through which association football teams organise their sporting activities. The club can exist either as ...
. The biggest in the whole town is , offering
volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...
,
judo
is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, combat sport, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyc ...
,
gymnastics
Gymnastics is a group of sport that includes physical exercises requiring Balance (ability), balance, Strength training, strength, Flexibility (anatomy), flexibility, agility, Motor coordination, coordination, artistry and endurance. The movem ...
,
athletics
Athletics may refer to:
Sports
* Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking
** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport
* Athletics (physical culture), competitio ...
, (a kind of dancing popular in Germany involving dancers in old, often 18th-century, military uniforms), and
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
, and having more than 800 members. The most successful football club is the (a fusion of and ), whose first team has been plying for many years in the top of the Regional Upper League (). Moreover, the club has at its disposal 21 youth teams. Also, the SG ( or "playing community") Schneidhain and FC Mammolshain play Football (soccer) in Königstein, both, however, at lower levels.
From 5 to 16 June 2006, on the occasion of the
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international Association football, football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which had won the right to FIFA World Cup hosts ...
, the
Brazil national team made its home at the
Kempinski
Kempinski Hotels S.A., commonly known as Kempinski, is a luxury hotel management company headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. Founded in Berlin in 1897 as the ''Hotelbetriebs-Aktiengesellschaft'', the group currently operates 77 five-star hote ...
Hotel in Falkenstein, a
five-star hotel
Hotel ratings are often used to classify hotels according to their quality. From the initial purpose of informing travellers on basic facilities that can be expected, the objectives of hotel rating have expanded into a focus on the hotel experie ...
originally built as an officers' retreat for
Kaiser Wilhelm. The team trained at the "Altkönigblick" sport ground, usual facility.
The Königstein Fanfare Corps () won the in Rödemis in 2005 and the
Solothurn
Solothurn ( ; ; ; ; ) is a town, a municipality, and the capital of the canton of Solothurn in Switzerland. It is located in the north-west of Switzerland on the banks of the Aare and on the foot of the Weissenstein Jura mountains.
The town is ...
er Marching Parade, in which the Königstein Fanfare Corps was the first foreign club to participate.
Königstein also has, from singing clubs to a
mandolin
A mandolin (, ; literally "small mandola") is a Chordophone, stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally Plucked string instrument, plucked with a plectrum, pick. It most commonly has four Course (music), courses of doubled St ...
club, a
karate
(; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ), also , is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tī'' in Okinawan) un ...
and
tennis
Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...
club, and a volunteer
fire brigade
A fire department (North American English) or fire brigade (Commonwealth English), also known as a fire company, fire authority, fire district, fire and rescue, or fire service in some areas, is an organization that provides fire prevention and ...
in every constituent community, more than 100 clubs.
Buildings

Besides the town's landmark, the Königstein Castle ruins, other buildings are worth seeing, such as the historic Old Town with its Old Town Hall (Rathaus), and
Falkenstein Castle, and the Old Town also found there. Nearby there is a viewpoint called ''Dettweiler-Tempel'', named after
physician
A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...
Peter Dettweiler, specialised in
pulmonology
Pulmonology (, , from Latin ''pulmō, -ōnis'' "lung" and the Greek suffix "study of"), pneumology (, built on Greek πνεύμων "lung") or pneumonology () is a medical specialty that deals with diseases involving the respiratory tract. ...
, who helped establishing Falkenstein as 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, Somerset, Ba ...
. The viewpoint allows a look over parts of Falkenstein as well as of
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...
and its
surrounding area.
Located at the top of a small wooded hill there is the . Built in 1891 by Frankfurt Banker Albert Andreae de Neufville, it was transformed into a
boarding school
A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. They have existed for many centuries, and now extend acr ...
(Schülerheim) in the post-war years (1957–1987). Thoroughly restored, it became famous as
Jürgen Schneider's headquarters from 1987 until his multi-billion-Deutsche-Mark
bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the deb ...
in 1994.
Architecturally
Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing buildings ...
important in its time was the ("Meeting House") built in 1955 for the headquarter of Catholic aid organisation
Aid to the Church in Need.
The health spa, built in 1977, was controversial at the time because of its blue-orange colour scheme.
Former
Grand Duke of Luxembourg
The Grand Duke of Luxembourg is the head of state of Luxembourg. Luxembourg has been a grand duchy since 15 March 1815, when it was created from territory of the former Duchy of Luxembourg. It was in personal union with the United Kingdom of ...
Adolph von Nassau's stately home is known as the and houses now the court (Amtsgericht Königstein).
The ''Villa Rothschild'', built in 1888 as a summer residence for
Wilhelm Carl von Rothschild, was used in 1948 and 1949 as a conference venue by the
Conference of Ministers-President
The Conference of Minister-Presidents (, MPK) is a committee formed by the sixteen States of Germany (''Bundesländer'') to coordinate policy in areas that fall within the sole jurisdiction of the Länder, e.g. broadcasting. The conference is not ...
to resolve disputed questions between the allied military governors and the
Parlamentarischer Rat
The ''Parlamentarischer Rat'' ( German for "Parliamentary Council") was the West German constituent assembly in Bonn that drafted and adopted the constitution of West Germany, the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, promulgated on 23 M ...
. Today it is used as a Hotel.
Story - Villa Rothshild
/ref>
At the foot of the ("Castle Mountain"), surrounded by a park through which flows the Woogbach and adjoining which is the Woogbach Valley is found Saint Angela's Ursuline Convent
A convent is an enclosed community of monks, nuns, friars or religious sisters. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community.
The term is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...
(), founded in 1884, and owning a like-named state-recognized private school
A private school or independent school is a school not administered or funded by the government, unlike a State school, public school. Private schools are schools that are not dependent upon national or local government to finance their fina ...
.
Königstein is likewise well known for its idyllic Old Town. Its exclusive residential areas (also in Falkenstein) are mainly marked by Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...
and its -influenced offshoots as well as 1960s Chic (bungalow
A bungalow is a small house or cottage that is typically single or one and a half storey, if a smaller upper storey exists it is frequently set in the roof and Roof window, windows that come out from the roof, and may be surrounded by wide ve ...
s). Lot sizes, however, are not comparable to those in other towns owing to new town planning and the building plans following therefrom.
Museums
The Castle and Town Museum () is found at the historic Old Town Hall ()
Education
Schools
There are in Königstein various schools, among them three Gymnasien: the state Taunusgymnasium (formerly Taunusschule), the private St. Angela Schule and the private Bischof-Neumann-Schule.
Primary schools
*Grundschule Königstein
*Grundschule Falkenstein
*Grundschule Mammolshain
*Grundschule Schneidhain
*Kid's Camp Königstein
Secondary schools
* Taunusgymnasium Königstein, Gymnasium
* Friedrich-Stoltze-Schule, Hauptschule
A ''Hauptschule'' (, "general school") is a secondary school in Germany, starting after four years of elementary schooling (''Grundschule''), which offers Lower Secondary Education (Level 2) according to the International Standard Classification ...
and Realschule
Real school (, ) is a type of secondary school in Germany, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It has also existed in Croatia (''realna gimnazija''), the Austrian Empire, the German Empire, Denmark and Norway (''realskole''), Sweden (''realskola''), F ...
* Bischof-Neumann-Schule, private school, state-recognized
* St.-Angela-Schule, private school, state-recognized
Philosophisch-Theologische Hochschule Königstein (1949–1978)
On 29 April 1949, a Königstein Philosophical-Theological College was founded in Königstein as a self-standing Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
university
A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...
, and acknowledged by the Hessian state government.
Bishop Maximilian Kaller – who was the first bishop with special authority over ethnic Germans who had been driven out of lost German territories at the end of the Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
– appointed philosophy professor Erich Kleineidam to the new institution in late May 1947 as a professor. In 1948, he also became head of the seminary, and in 1949 rector of the Königstein Philosophical-Theological College. Besides Kleineidam, others who taught at the ecclesiastical university were Anton Janko, Philipp Schäfer and Leo Scheffczyk. Among well known graduates were Karl Gabriel, Johannes Gründel and Gerhard Pieschl.
The college produced 417 priests. It was dissolved on 15 February 1978.
Literature
For three years, from 1970 until his death in 1973, the writer and journalist
A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism.
Roles
Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...
Herbert Kranz (born 4 October 1891 in Nordhausen; died 30 August 1973 in Braunschweig) lived here.
The book ("Königstein im Taunus: History and Art") by Beate Großmann-Hofmann and Hans-Curt Köster (Königstein im Taunus 2010 ) offers a detailed outline of the town's history, its castle and its outlying communities. It also includes a detailed catalogue of many buildings and objects worthy of protection.
Also of importance is the book ("Jews in Königstein") by Heinz Sturm-Godramstein (). The former town archivist's documentation first appeared in 1983 and was reissued in 1998 almost unchanged.
Sundry
Health
There is in Königstein a comprehensive offering of health services. Besides the baths, there are various clinics, among them a migraine
Migraine (, ) is a complex neurological disorder characterized by episodes of moderate-to-severe headache, most often unilateral and generally associated with nausea, and light and sound sensitivity. Other characterizing symptoms may includ ...
clinic, a special clinic for psychosomatic illnesses, a heart
The heart is a muscular Organ (biology), organ found in humans and other animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels. The heart and blood vessels together make the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrie ...
clinic and a neurological
Neurology (from , "string, nerve" and the suffix -logia, "study of") is the branch of medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of conditions and disease involving the nervous system, which comprises the brain, the s ...
clinic. The two spas of Königstein and Falkenstein have recently formed the entrance portal to Germany's first climatic healing park ().
Famous Personalities
* Adelheid-Marie of Anhalt-Dessau (1833 – 1916)
* Max Dessoir
Maximilian Dessoir (8 February 1867 – 19 July 1947) was a German philosopher, psychologist and theorist of aesthetics.
Career
Dessoir was born in Berlin, into a German Jewish family, his parents being Ludwig Dessoir (1810-1874), "Germany's ...
(1867–1947) psychologist
A psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and social processes and behavior. Their work often involves the experimentation, observation, and explanation, interpretatio ...
and art historian
Art history is the study of artistic works made throughout human history. Among other topics, it studies art’s formal qualities, its impact on societies and cultures, and how artistic styles have changed throughout history.
Traditionally, the ...
* Franz Halder
Franz Halder (30 June 1884 – 2 April 1972) was a German general and the chief of staff of the Oberkommando des Heeres, Army High Command (OKH) in Nazi Germany from 1938 until September 1942. During World War II, he directed the planning and i ...
(1884–1972) Wehrmacht
The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...
general
* Eduard Maurer (1886–1969) chemist
A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a graduated scientist trained in the study of chemistry, or an officially enrolled student in the field. Chemists study the composition of ...
and metallurgist
Metallurgy is a domain of materials science and engineering that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their inter-metallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are known as alloys.
Metallurgy encompasses both the ...
(developed V2A stainless steel
Stainless steel, also known as inox, corrosion-resistant steel (CRES), or rustless steel, is an iron-based alloy that contains chromium, making it resistant to rust and corrosion. Stainless steel's resistance to corrosion comes from its chromi ...
)
* Herbert Karl Ludwig Kranz (1891–1973) writer
* Walter Christaller
Walter Christaller (21 April 1893 – 9 March 1969) was a German geographer whose principal contribution to the discipline is central place theory, first published in 1933. This groundbreaking theory was the foundation of the study of cities as s ...
(1893–1969) geographer
A geographer is a physical scientist, social scientist or humanist whose area of study is geography, the study of Earth's natural environment and human society, including how society and nature interacts. The Greek prefix "geo" means "earth" a ...
* Eugen Kogon
Eugen Kogon (2 February 1903 – 24 December 1987) was a German historian and Nazi concentration camp survivor. A well-known Christian opponent of the Nazi Party, Kogon was arrested more than once and spent six years at Buchenwald concentration ...
(1903–1987) political scientist
Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...
, writer, Antifascist
* Richard Musgrave (1910–2007) economist
An economist is a professional and practitioner in the social sciences, social science discipline of economics.
The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy. Within this ...
* Leo Cardinal Scheffczyk (1920–2005)
* Jürgen Schneider (1934– ) building speculator
* Volker Reiche (1944– ) comic strip
A comic strip is a Comics, sequence of cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often Serial (literature), serialized, with text in Speech balloon, balloons and Glossary of comics terminology#Captio ...
artist
* Birgit Friedmann (1960– ) athlete
An athlete is most commonly a person who competes in one or more sports involving physical strength, speed, power, or endurance. Sometimes, the word "athlete" is used to refer specifically to sport of athletics competitors, i.e. including track ...
* Christoph Neubronner (1960– ) jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
pianist
A pianist ( , ) is a musician who plays the piano. A pianist's repertoire may include music from a diverse variety of styles, such as traditional classical music, jazz piano, jazz, blues piano, blues, and popular music, including rock music, ...
* Hans Zimmer
Hans Florian Zimmer (; born 12 September 1957) is a German film score composer and music producer. He has won two Academy Awards, a BAFTA Award, five Grammy Awards, and has been nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards, Emmy Awards and a Tony ...
(1957– ) film composer and Oscar
Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to:
People and fictional and mythical characters
* Oscar (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters named Oscar, Óscar or Oskar
* Oscar (footballer, born 1954), Brazilian footballer ...
winner
* Father Werenfried van Straaten (1913–2003) called "Speckpater" ("Bacon Father"); founder of the international relief organization Aid to the Church in Need
* Michael Gross (1964– ) Swimmer, three-time Olympic gold medal winner
* Eva Pfaff
Eva Pfaff (born 10 February 1961) is a German former professional tennis player.
Career
During her career, she won one singles title and nine doubles titles on the WTA Tour. Her peak world rankings in the sport were 17th in singles (in 1983) an ...
(1961– ) tennis player
* Charly Körbel
Karl-Heinz "Charly" Körbel (born 1 December 1954) is a German former professional footballer who played as a defender. He is currently a member of Eintracht Frankfurt's directors of football and runs their football academy.
Career
Playing c ...
(1954– ) soccer player
* Jürgen Hardt (1963– ) German Politician, Christian Democratic Union member of the Bundestag
The Bundestag (, "Federal Diet (assembly), Diet") is the lower house of the Germany, German Federalism in Germany, federal parliament. It is the only constitutional body of the federation directly elected by the German people. The Bundestag wa ...
References
History and Coat of arms have their own sources.
External links
Königstein im Taunus
{{DEFAULTSORT:Konigstein im Taunus
Hochtaunuskreis
Spa towns in Germany