|
DestinationsOther |
Baden-Württemberg GermanyGermany 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 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 such as Mercedes-Benz and Porsche cars, 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 British came here to cure their gout, rheumatism, and other illnesses. 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 of Europe. One of France's most famous is Evian and many of you have probably tried a bottle of this water. Perrier, 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? 
|
