• View
• Edit
• History
• Print

Baden-Württemberg Germany

Germany is divided into Länder, which is comparable to North American states or provinces. The singular of Länder is Land, and I would like to tell you a little bit about the Land Baden-Württemberg, as it is properly written in German.

Baden-Württemberg is located in the lower southwest part of Germany. In the south, it is bordered by the Rhine River Switzerland; in the southwest, by France; in the northwest by Rhineland-Palatinate and Hessen; and on the northeast and east by Bavaria, which, undoubtedly, is the largest and most famous of the Länder.

It is the seat of two ruling families: the Staufer Emperors of the 11th and 12th Centuries, of whom Frederick Barbarossa is the most prominent, and the Hohenzollern kings, the last ruling dynasty in Germany, which was brought to an end by Germany's loss in World War I. Though it has relatively little heavy industry, Baden-Wurttemberg is well-known for its manufacturing industry such as clocks, musical instruments, cars (Mercedes-Benz and Porsche), and more. Since the merger between General Motors and Mercedes-Benz, I am not certain how much manufacturing is still done in Germany, but I would assume that all the cars for the European market are still produced there. Both of these manufacturers are situated close to the capital of Stuttgart.

Like Berlin, Stuttgart is one of the younger cities in Germany--by European standards. Those who have studied German or are just using a little imagination will recognize the first part of the name of this Land "Baden", which means to bathe. In this case, it means that it is a mineral spa or bath. Baden-Württemberg has mineral spas everywhere. Many places begin with the word "Bad", which means that there is at least one hot mineral spring in this area. One of the most famous is the city Baden-Baden, which has been renowned throughout Europe for several centuries. Many people come here to cure their gout, rheumatism, and other illnesses. Interestingly enough, you not only bathe in this type of water, you also drink it.

Does it taste good? Well, that depends on you and the mineral spring that it actually comes from. Hot springs have been found in many countries in Europe. One of France's most famous is Evian; many of you have probably tried a bottle of this water. The Princess of Table Waters also comes from a natural spring, though I believe it has never been used for therapeutic bathing.

There are so many interesting places and areas in Baden-Württemberg that it is impossible to list them all. Many are tiny places that are nonetheless places of historical or other interest.

Here are some of the places of interest that I myself have visited and will write about in the future:

Heidelberg Tübingen Heilbronn Ulm Konstanz Lake Constance Schwäbish Gmünd Rothenburg ob der Tauber Ellwangen Wertheim Bad Liebenzell Schwäbisch Hall Bad Canstatt Neckar River Danube River Freiburg