Bad Karlshafen

Bad Karlshafen
Bad Karlshafen Bad Karlshafen
Coat of arms of Bad Karlshafen Coat of arms
Bad Karlshafen
Location of Bad Karlshafen within Kassel district 250px
Coordinates:
Country	Germany
State	Hesse
Admin. region	Kassel
District	Kassel
Government
• Mayor	Ullrich Otto (Ind.)
Area
• Total	14.85 km2 (5.73 sq mi)
Population (2013-12-31)
• Total	3,534
• Density	240/km2 (620/sq mi)
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes	34385
Dialling codes	05672
Vehicle registration	KS
Website	www.bad-karlshafen.de

Bad Karlshafen is a baroque, thermal salt spa town in the district of Kassel, in Hesse, Germany. It has 2300 inhabitants in the main ward of Bad Karlshafen, and a further 1900 in the medieval village of Helmarshausen. It is situated at the confluence of the Diemel and Weser rivers, 15 km south of Höxter, and 37 km north of Kassel.

File:Bad Karlshafen01.jpg

The city hall of Bad Karlshafen in Hessen, Germany

History

The town was founded in 1699 by French Huguenots fleeing persecution in France. Though initially named Sieburg, the town was later named after Charles I, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel, who granted them refuge. The German Huguenot Museum located here contains a picture archive, library, and family histories of the Huguenots in Germany. Charles I, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel, had ambitious plans for town-planning and developing new water trade channels in the region; including a 'haven' in Karlshafen. Together with his engineer and architect Friedrich Conradi he developed plans for a Landgrave-Carl-Canal in order to avoid customs duty at Hannoversch Münden, but these were never finalised. Plans for Bad Karlshafen, however, were partially completed in a baroque style by architect Paul du Ry in 1717 and the town was renamed as Carlshaven.

Since 1977 Karlshafen has spa status, which is when it received the title 'Bad'.

Leisure and health

Bad Karlshafen is a spa town (Bad = spa), which offers a modern health centre, the Weser Therme, based on a thermal salt spring, and in 1986 a graduation tower was established.

Transport

• Bad Karlshafen railway station offers services between Ottbergen and Göttingen, at roughly a 2 hourly frequency, with bicycle space.
• Bus services also operate in the area.