Bad Mergentheim lies in the valley of the Tauber, ringed by hills covered with forest. It has three mineral springs containing carbonic acid, with a high salt content (the Karls-, Wilhelms- and Albertquelle) and one saline spring (the Paulsquelle), which are used in both drinking and bathing cures for the treatment of affections of the gall bladder, liver, stomach and intestines. The historic old town forms a charming contrast to the modern spa installations.
In the church of Stuppach, a district of Mergentheim 6km/4mi south of the town center, can be seen the famous Stuppach Virgin, a panel painting by Matthias Grünewald (1517-19).
On the eastern edge of Bad Mergentheim's old town is the large Castle of the Teutonic Order (16th C.), once the residence of the Grand Master of the Order. The Baroque church was built in 1730-35 to the design of Balthasar Neumann and François Cuvilliés, and the ceiling paintings (1734-35) by Nikolaus Stuber. In the castle are the Museum of the Teutonic Order (history of the town and of the Order; mementos of the 19th C. poet Eduard Mörike; religious art; domestic life) and a collection of old dolls' houses.
Southeast of Bad Mergentheim's town center can be found the Game Park (bison, bears, wolves, vultures, cormorants), with a museum of native German animals (dioramas).
Address: Wildpark Bad Mergentheim, Wildpark 1, D-97980 Bad Mergentheim, Germany
Hours:
March 17 to November 4: 9am-6pm
November 7 to March 16: 10:30am-4pm; Closed: Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri
In the Marktplatz in Bad Mergentheim with its handsome half-timbered houses stands the Town Hall (1564). To the north is the Late Gothic Minster of St John (13th C.; vaulting 1584; wall paintings). To the south of the Markt is the Marienkirche (St Mary's Church; 14th C.; restored in neo-Gothic style), which contains the bronze monument of Walter von Cromberg, Grand Master of the Teutonic Order.
To the east of the Kurpark in Bad Mergentheim, near the Albertquelle, are the Solymar Baths, with a swimming pool (artificial waves), water-chute, saline baths, sauna, play areas, etc.
On the right bank of the Tauber, reached by way of the Schlosspark, lies the Bad Mergentheim spa district, with the Kursaal, pump room, indoor promenade, treatment and bathing facilities and the beautiful Kurpark.
10km/6mi east of Bad Mergentheim, on the left bank of the Tauber, is the picturesque little town of Weikersheim, the very pattern of a small princely capital of the 16th-18th centuries. In the Baroque Markt are the Late Gothic Town Church and the Tauberland Village Museum.
The Renaissance Schloss occupies the site of a medieval moated castle. The interior is almost completely preserved (fine Knights' Hall). The Hohenlohe Museum has a notable collection of porcelain and ceramics.
Behind the Schloss is the Schlossgarten (1708-10), with statuary and an Orangery.
Address: Schloss Weikersheim, Marktplatz 11, D-97990 Weikersheim, Germany
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Weikersheim, Germany
