Bad Waldsee Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids

Bad Waldsee

Coat of arms

Country

Elevation

588 m (1,929 ft)

Population

(2022-12-31)

• Total

20,630

CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)

88339

07524

Website

www.bad-waldsee.de

Bad Waldsee is a town in Upper Swabia, a region in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is part of the Ravensburg district. The town is about 20 kilometers south of Biberach an der Riß and 20 kilometers northeast of Ravensburg. Bad Waldsee has a charming old city center with many historic buildings and a special area just for walking. It is an important center for the Bodensee-Oberschwaben district and includes the nearby towns of Aulendorf and Bergatreute.

Geography of Bad Waldsee
Town Parts and Communities
History of Bad Waldsee
- Money During Difficult Times
Town Flag and Coat of Arms
Sister Cities
Economy and How the Town Works
Famous People from Bad Waldsee
- Other People Connected to the City
Images for kids
See also

Geography of Bad Waldsee

Bad Waldsee is located in the beautiful region of Upper Swabia, just north of the Altdofer forest. The old part of the city is built on a narrow strip of land between two lakes. On the east side is the Stadtsee (City Lake), which connects to Urbach through a channel. On the west side is the smaller Schlosssee (Castle Lake), which flows into the Stadtsee.

Town Parts and Communities

Bad Waldsee is made up of several smaller communities, which are like different neighborhoods or villages that belong to the town. These include:

Reute: This community joined Bad Waldsee in 1971.
Gaisbeuren: Home to about 1,785 people.
Haisterkirch: Has around 1,433 residents.
Michelwinnaden: A smaller community with about 618 people.
Mittelurbach: Has a population of about 1,347 people.

History of Bad Waldsee

The town of Waldsee was first mentioned in official records in the year 926. These records talked about damage caused by invaders from Hungary. It said that a royal estate in "Walahsé" was destroyed. The town was given special "city-rights" in 1298, which meant it could govern itself more.

For a while, the "Lords of Waldsee" were in charge, but they soon sold the town to the powerful Habsburg family from Austria. However, in 1386, the Habsburgs gave control of Waldsee to a steward named Johann von Waldburg.

In 1406, the Waldburg family's control over Waldsee was made permanent. Waldsee, along with the towns of Mengen, Riedlingen, Munderkingen, and Saulgau, were all sold by the Habsburgs. From then on, these five towns were known as the "fünf Donaustädte," or "Five Danube Towns." The Waldburg family continued to control these towns until 1806. At that time, a new order was created in Europe by Napoleon, and Waldsee became part of the Kingdom of Württemberg. In 1807, Waldsee became an important township, and the city grew during this period.

Money During Difficult Times

During World War I, in 1918, coins made of nickel and copper became hard to find. Because of this, many towns, including Waldsee, decided to make their own money. On March 13, 1918, the town council of Waldsee decided to create their own coins in values of 50 Pfennig, 10 Pfennig, and 5 Pfennig. These local coins could be used until May 1, 1922.

The historic Town Hall of Bad Waldsee.

Later, in 1923, Germany faced a time of extreme inflation, meaning money lost its value very quickly. The city of Waldsee then printed its own paper money. On August 26, 1923, the local council decided to print bills worth 500,000, 1 million, and 2 million Marks. Soon after, they printed even higher values, from five million up to ten trillion Marks! The back of the bills with values from five million to twenty billion showed a picture of the "Iron Man," who was the Steward of Waldburg.

The clock on the Town Hall.

Waldsee remained an important township until 1938. At that time, the government changed how towns were organized, and Waldsee became part of the new Biberach and Ravensburg Counties. In 1942, a company called Bachem-Werke GmbH was started in the town. This company built and tested a special rocket plane called the Bachem Ba 349 in Waldsee.

After World War II, the town focused on rebuilding its economy. In 1950, Bad Waldsee opened its first mud bath spa. As more spas were built, the town earned the title "Moorheilbad," which means a spa town known for its healing mud baths. In 1974, the town also received the title "Kneippkurort," given to towns with special water treatments believed to have healing properties.

Town Flag and Coat of Arms

The official colors of Bad Waldsee are black and silver (which is sometimes shown as white). The symbols on the town's coat of arms tell us about its history and what was important to its people:

The fish on the left side of the arms represents the fishing that took place in the town's lakes.
The star above the arms shows the town's special connection to the Virgin Mary, who is honored at the mountain chapel called "Our Dear Lady of the Mountain."
An oar, or sometimes thought of as a grain shovel, on the right side of the crest highlights either fishing or farming in the area.
The overall design of the seal comes from the first owners of the city, the Lords of Waldsee.

Sister Cities

Bad Waldsee has special friendships with other towns, known as "sister cities." These connections help people from different places learn about each other's cultures. Bad Waldsee's sister cities are:

Bad Elster, Germany
Bâgé-le-Châtel, France

Economy and How the Town Works

Getting Around

Bad Waldsee is connected to nearby towns like Bad Wurzach, Leutkirch, and Ravensburg by intercity buses. The town is also located on the B-30 highway, which is a main road. Bad Waldsee has its own small airport for private planes, but the closest major airport for bigger flights is Friedrichshafen Airport.

Local Businesses

Several important companies are located in Bad Waldsee. One is Hymer, a well-known company that makes campers and mobile homes. Hymer employs over 1,000 people in the town. Another big business is the Walz Mail-Order Company, which specializes in selling baby products through mail order. The third largest industry in Bad Waldsee is its spas, such as Maximilianbad, Elisabethenbad, Mayenbad, and the Waldsee-Therme. These spas are popular for health and relaxation.

Fun and Sports Facilities

The Waldsee-Therme is a modern thermal bath and therapy center that opened in 1994. It gets its water from Swabia's hottest natural spring, with water coming from deep underground at nearly 65°C (149°F)! There is also an adventure climbing park in the pine woods, which has nine different climbing courses for all skill levels. For those who enjoy being active outdoors, the "Stadtsee active way" offers fitness equipment and even dance chimes around the lake.

Famous People from Bad Waldsee

Many interesting people have connections to Bad Waldsee:

Elizabeth of Reute (1386–1420): Also known as Good Beth, she was a mystic who lived in the town. She was honored as "blessed" in 1766.
Georg, Truchsess von Waldburg (1488–1531): He was a military commander for the Swabian League during the German Peasants' War.
Louis Lang (1812–1893): A German-American painter.
Constantin Dausch (1841–1908): A talented sculptor.
Eugen Maucher (1912–1991): A German politician who was a member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party and served in the German Parliament (Bundestag).
Willibald Sauerländer (1924–2018): A respected art historian and art critic.
Erwin Hymer (1930–2013): A successful entrepreneur who founded the Hymer AG company, which makes campers and mobile homes.

Other People Connected to the City

Erich Bachem (1906–1960): An engineer and designer who worked for the Hymer company in Bad Waldsee.
Friedrich Wilhelm Schnitzler (1928–2011): A farmer, politician, and manager.
Georg Zundel (1931–2007): A physicist, entrepreneur, and someone who gave a lot to charity.

Images for kids

Saint Michael's church
Evangelical church
A beautiful view over the lake at evening.

Bad Waldsee facts for kids

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