Bad Soden-Salmünster

The Stadtteil Bad Soden from the southeast

Salmünster as a settlement likely dates to the 9th century, but is first mentioned in a document from around 1000, as Salchenmunster. Soden, probably created by Fulda Abbey ca. 909, appears in a document from ca. 1190, referred to as Sodin. Around 152, the abbot of Fulda Abbey had Burg Stolzenberg (see below) erected. Town rights were bestowed in 1296 (Soden, but called Stolzenthal) and 1320 (Salmünster), by King Adolf and Emperor Ludwig, respectively. In 1536, the Huttenschloss (see below) was built.[3]^:71

In medieval times, salt works were an important source of local income at Soden. Since the 12th century the water of the local wells, with a high salt and iron content, was used for salt production. The springs and the village were mortgaged by the abbot of Fulda to the lords of Hutten in 1330, who initially lived at Stolzenfels before moving to a new palace in the mid-16th century. When the Hutten family came into financial difficulties, they in turn mortgaged the area to the Archbishop of Mainz. However, the temporal organization of the Archbishopric, the Erzstift, was already running salt works at nearby (Bad) Orb. To avoid internal competition, salt production at Soden was ended in the later 16th century.[3]^:70–1

The salt well (Barbarossaquelle) was rediscovered in 1837, and in 1838 Robert Bunsen conducted an analysis of the well's water. In 1872, Soden was granted permission to use the wells for a spa. The first Kurhaus (spa building) was erected in 1889, by which time the region had become a part of the Kingdom of Prussia. Soden has been a Heilbad (spa) and therefore called "Bad Soden" since 1928.[4][3]^:70–1

The mayor is Dominik Brasch.

The Stadtteil of Alsberg, a hill village (Höhendorf) from the northwest; the Wallfahrtskirche Heilig Kreuz on the right

• Burg Stolzenberg - ruin of a medieval hill castle to the northeast of Bad Soden. It was destroyed in the Thirty Years' War by Croatian troops serving the Emperor, commanded by Johann Ludwig Hektor von Isolani.[6]
• Huttenschloss Bad Soden - a town castle built around 1536 by Lukas von Hutten[7]
• St. Peter und Paul (Salmünster) - the current Baroque parish church was built in 1737-45. It is part of the ensemble of the Franciscan monastery at Salmünster.[7]
• Schloss Hausen (Bad Soden) - the original castle was first mentioned in 1540. Under Daniel Brendel von Homburg it was rebuilt into a small Schloss. Today, it serves as a youth hostel and is not open to the public.[8]
• St. Laurentius - Gothic revival church at Bad Soden
• Wallfahrtskirche Heiliges Kreuz - small church at Alsberg
• Mernes water works - water works built in 1914 by the Prussians to supply water to the military training area between Bad Orb and Jossgrund. It was bought in 1952 by the city of Frankfurt, when it once again took over the summer camp at Wegscheide (see Stalag IX-B). The Mernes works long supplied water to the camp until it was replaced with a new water line from Bad Orb. Mernes still uses water pumped from the works.[9]
• Parish church St. Peter at Mernes, with late Gothic crucifixion group from the workshop of Tilman Riemenschneider[3]^:71

• Kurt Lamm (1919–87), footballer, coach, manager, and administrator
• Joseph Müller (1894-1944), priest
• Manuel Marburger (born 1973), German industrial climber