FOR a population of just 13,000, Bad Soden-Salmünster has quite a mouthful of a name.
The municipality of Bad Soden-Salmünster was created in 1974, joining two towns that had both recently expanded by incorporating nearby villages into their boundaries.
Salmünster is probably the older, having apparently been settled in the 800s, although its first mention in a surviving document, under the name Salchenmunster, is from more than 100 years later.
The hamlet of Soden was created by nearby Fulda Abbey in the early 900s, probably under the name Sodin.
Wells in Soden were found to have a high saline level, making possible profitable salt works.
Production ceased in the late 1500s, but a salty well rediscovered in 1837 became the centre of a spa industry, and the town received government permission to change its name to Bad Soden in 1928.
 |
| Built in 1703, this was the town hall (rathaus) of Soden, and later Bad Soden and Bad Soden-Salmünster, until 1997, and can be hired today for weddings |
No comments:
Post a Comment