Politics and Town Hall
The most famous health resort in Germany, Rosenstadt, a splendid cityscape characterized by the architectural work of Balthasar Neumann, Friedrich von Gärtner and Max Littmann – Bad Kissingen is famous far beyond the Franconian borders as a charming, flourishing spa town with a significant history. Outstanding personalities of their time, such as Otto von Bismarck, Empress Sisi (Countess Hohenembs), King Ludwig II of Bavaria, Russian Tsar Alexander II, writers Leo Tolstoy, Theodor Fontane, architect Walter Gropius, composer Richard Strauss, German Federal President Theodor Heuss and Heinrich Lübke, as well as many other celebrities, have recovered here from everyday life, in some cases more than once.
Life where others go on vacation
People in Bad Kissingen appreciate the advantages that the city brings as a spa, tourism, leisure and cultural city. In addition, here all generations live actively and positively together. In Bad Kissingen, great importance is attached to a good and cordial social cooperation. There are plenty of childcare facilities for the youngest, all school types, numerous training opportunities, entertaining and varied offers for all age groups, an excellent social network as well as a lively associative life.
Tourism and health care play a major role in the economy. Trade, service, hotel industry, and gastronomy have adapted to the needs of the population. On this basis, innovative and future-oriented health topics such as telemedicine and chronobiology are to address new and increasingly younger target groups.
Every year around 250,000 guests with 1.6 million overnight stays enjoy the wellness and health services of the large district town, with nine districts on the Franconian Saale south of the Rhön. The inhabitants also benefit from these services as well as from the numerous leisure activities and the extensive cultural program.
Bad Kissingen is a city for connoisseurs: with wine bars and Franconian hospitality, shopping in the old town and the cultural program of a metropolis. Throughout the year, the city offers its guests and citizens a wide range of cultural events with music, theater, exhibitions, festivals, and events.
From the comedy to the symphony, from the operetta to the jazz evening, the ballet and the cabaret – all cultural areas are covered in the varied program. The highlight of the year is undoubtedly the international music festival "Kissinger Sommer" from mid-June to mid-July, which has been successfully organized for more than 20 years now. The "Kissinger KlavierOlympiade", the Kissinger Kabaretherbst and the "Kissinger Winter Magic" also inspire culture-loving guests from Germany and abroad with unforgettable concert experiences.
Our guests are also always impressed by Bad Kissingen’s splendid festivities. At the Rakoczy Festival, people celebrate and dance in the streets and pubs of the entire city center. Every year, the famous spa guests of former times are honored. Historical personalities – emperors, kings, princes, artists – recall the splendid past and tradition of the town. In June, when the garden of roses (Rosengarten) flourishes in its full beauty, and the smell of countless roses floats over the city, the „Rose Ball“ takes place. The ball is one of the social events organized during the "Kissinger Sommer". The Regent’s Building offers the ideal setting for this magnificent event.
In Bad Kissingen, sporty guests can follow their own inclinations, choosing between hiking, Nordic walking, cycling and canoeing, golf, tennis, chess, mini golf, horseback riding, squash, ice skating, ice hockey, and gliding. Bad Kissingen is also the ideal starting point to explore the city and the county by bicycle. On well-signposted, kilometer-long bicycle paths, the bike excursion becomes a relaxing leisure experience. The paths lead the cyclist through large parks, magnificent deciduous forests, and through the idyllic Saale valley.
All these factors have led Bad Kissingen to be on the German list of nominations for an appointment as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage, together with ten other major European spa towns. The final decision of the UNESCO panel in Paris is expected in the next two years.
Facts and Figures
County: Bad Kissingen
Population: approx. 21,000
Height: 201 m above sea level
Area: 6127 hectares
Postal code: 97688
Area codes: 0971, 09736 (Albertshausen, Poppenroth)
If you want to know more about Bad Kissingen, you can find further figures on the website of the Bavarian State Office for Statistics: www.statistik.bayern.de
Coat of arms and flag
In silver, a red "portal Building" (Torburg) with three toothed towers, the middle of which is blue-helmeted, with a shield divided by black and silver; in it a griffin’s claw. The town was already under the counts of Henneberg before 1280. The flag shows the Torburg as a symbol of the walled wall and the family coat of arms of Henneberg. (Official description)
The flag of the city of Bad Kissingen has the colors red and white.
Districts
In the course of the Bavarian municipal area reform, the city of Bad Kissingen became a large district town in 1972 with nine districts: Albertshausen, Arnshausen, Garitz, Hausen, Kleinbrach, Poppenroth, Reiterswiesen, Winkels and the core town of Bad Kissingen.
Partner Towns
City partnerships connect communities across borders and language barriers, and promote economic and cultural exchanges. Since 1960, Bad Kissingen has had partnerships with Vernon (France) and Massa (Italy). Eisenstadt (Austria) joined in 1978. Bad Kissingers maintains these partnerships through student exchange and numerous cultural, culinary and sporting encounters. Even marriages have been celebrated. Since 1999 there is the association "Städtepartnerschaftskomitee Bad Kissingen e. V."