Heilbad Heiligenstadt
Pure joie de vivre in the spa and health city at the center of Germany.
Heilbad Heiligenstadt, the traditional capital of the Eichsfeld, impresses with its idyllic location in the valley of Leine and Geislede and is picturesquely surrounded by the wooded mountain heights of the Iberg and Dün (approx. 450 m). 17,085 inhabitants live in the districts of Flinsberg, Günterode, Kalteneber and Rengelrode (01.10.06).
First mentioned in a document in 973, Heiligenstadt attained market rights around the turn of the millennium and in 1227 the archbishop of Mainz, Siegfried II, granted town rights.
The probably most important son of the city, the sculptor and carver Tilman Riemenschneider, saw the light of day in the Klausmühle around 1460.
The poet Theodor Storm worked 8 years as a district judge in Heiligenstadt. In his honour, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of his death in 1988, the literary museum "Theodor Storm" was opened in the Mainzer Haus, am Berge.
The former Jesuit College (built in 1740) now houses the Eichsfeld Museum of Local History.
Three remarkable Gothic churches characterise the city, surrounded by imposing Baroque secular buildings and pretty half-timbered houses.
In addition to the various events of the Eichsfeld Culture House, cultural life also includes traditional folk festivals such as the annual "Festival of the Heiligenstadt Carrot Kings" (Stadtfest) in September and numerous open-air events such as spa concerts, children's festival, Neptune's Festival, Fairy Tale Park Festival etc..
Heiligenstadt has been a health resort since 1929 and officially received the status of a spa in 1950. Today, the most modern therapy facilities mainly offer inpatient rehabilitation measures for diseases of the postural and musculoskeletal system as well as cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.
In addition to the charming surroundings of the woods, the guests have at their disposal the Heinrich-Heine-Kurpark, which was reconstructed in 1996, the baroque garden in the centre of the town, which was completed in 2000, and the Eichsfeld-Therme in the Leineaue.
The former presence of the Brothers Grimm was responsible for the city's inclusion in the "German Fairytale Route" in 1993.
The Fairy Tale Park was opened on 4 July 2004 on the occasion of the city's membership of the German Fairy Tale Route. Here a small dream world of the collected fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm has been created for our youngest.