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Bad Wörishofen

Coordinates: 48°00′21″N 10°35′49″E / 48.00583°N 10.59694°E / 48.00583; 10.59694
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Bad Wörishofen
Kurhaus of Bad Wörishofen
Kurhaus of Bad Wörishofen
Coat of arms of Bad Wörishofen
Location of Bad Wörishofen within Unterallgäu district
KaufbeurenAugsburg (district)Günzburg (district)Neu-Ulm (district)OberallgäuOstallgäuMemmingenAmbergApfeltrachBabenhausenBad GrönenbachBad WörishofenBenningenBenningenBöhenBoosBreitenbrunnBuxheimDirlewangEgg an der GünzEppishausenErkheimEttringenFellheimHawangenHeimertingenHolzgünzKammlachKettershausenKirchhaslachKirchheim in SchwabenKronburgLachenLaubenLautrachLegauMarkt RettenbachMarkt WaldMemmingerbergMindelheimNiederriedenOberriedenOberschöneggOttobeurenPfaffenhausenPleßRammingenSalgenSontheimStettenTrunkelsbergTürkheimTussenhausenUngerhausenUngerhausenUntereggWesterheimWiedergeltingenWinterriedenWolfertschwendenWoringenUnterallgäuBaden-Württemberg
Bad Wörishofen is located in Germany
Bad Wörishofen
Bad Wörishofen
Bad Wörishofen is located in Bavaria
Bad Wörishofen
Bad Wörishofen
Coordinates: 48°00′21″N 10°35′49″E / 48.00583°N 10.59694°E / 48.00583; 10.59694
CountryGermany
StateBavaria
Admin. regionSchwaben
DistrictUnterallgäu
Subdivisions12 Gemeindeteile
Government
 • Mayor (2020–26) Stefan Welzel[1] (CSU)
Area
 • Total57.80 km2 (22.32 sq mi)
Highest elevation
670 m (2,200 ft)
Lowest elevation
603 m (1,978 ft)
Population
 (2023-12-31)[2]
 • Total17,683
 • Density310/km2 (790/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes
86825
Dialling codes08247
Vehicle registrationMN
Websitewww.bad-woerishofen.de

Bad Wörishofen (German pronunciation: [ˈvøːʁɪsˌhoːfə̆n]) is a spa town in the district of Unterallgäu in Bavaria, Germany, known for the water-cure (hydrotherapy) developed by Sebastian Kneipp (1821–1897), a Catholic priest who lived there for 42 years. Many of the resort hotels and boarding-houses in Bad Wörishofen offer their guests treatment using Kneipp's methods.

St. Justina Church at Bad Wörishofen

The new spa complex out of town is called Therme Bad Wörishofen. Time magazine called the town "the secret capital of health".[3]

Geography

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The town is located on the Wörthbach, a tributary of the River Mindel in Donau-Iller, which is a border region straddling Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. It is approximately 80 km / 50 miles west of Munich and 35 km / 22 miles east of Memmingen.

History

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The first known reference to the place dates from 1067, where it is described as the lordship "Werenshova". The name is thought to mean "Homestead of Werin". For centuries Wörishofen was an agricultural settlement. Between 1719 and 1721 the Dominican Wörishofen Monastery was built under the direction of Dominikus Zimmermann.

After World War II, with south-western Germany belonging to the American occupation zone, Bad Wörishofen was the site of a displaced persons camp.[4] Most of the displaced people in question were of Lithuanian provenance. The camp enjoyed the confidence and support of the UNRRA, and was accordingly permitted to print its own bank notes.

Personalities

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Sons and daughters of the town

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Personalities associated with Bad Wörishofen

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  • Hermann Aust (1853–1944), a keen supporter of Sebastian Kneipp and supporter of the development of Bad Wörishofen as a spa town.
  • Viktor Frankl (1905–1997), founder of logotherapy, worked in Bad Wörishofen in 1945 where he was a doctor at the Hospital for Displaced Persons.
Sebastian Kneipp 1915

Economy

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Wörishofer sandals are made here.[5]

Notes and references

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  1. ^ Liste der ersten Bürgermeister/Oberbürgermeister in kreisangehörigen Gemeinden, Bayerisches Landesamt für Statistik, 15 July 2021.
  2. ^ Genesis Online-Datenbank des Bayerischen Landesamtes für Statistik Tabelle 12411-003r Fortschreibung des Bevölkerungsstandes: Gemeinden, Stichtag (Einwohnerzahlen auf Grundlage des Zensus 2011).
  3. ^ "Spannen Sie aus in Bad Wörishofen. Im Kneipp-Kurort kann Mann Kraft tanken: Wellness-Woche gewinnen". Berliner Kurier. (1 September 2010).
  4. ^ DP Camp Bad Wörishofen
  5. ^ Imogen Fox (23 July 2010), "Ooh, but they are comfy . . .", The Guardian: 13