DEUTSCHLAND | GERMANY |
Bundesland: Baden-Württemberg | |
Regierungsbezirk: Tübingen | |
Landkreis: Reutlingen |
Bad Urach is situated at an elevation of 464 m in the Schwäbische Alb region of Baden-Württemberg. The town goes back to a village that had been founded by the counts of Hohenurach below their castle in the 12th century. This village obtained the status of a market town, and in 1316 was first mentioned as a town. During the period of the partition of Württemberg (at that time spelled Wirtemberg) (1442–1482) after the Nürtingen Contract, Urach was the residence of Wirtemberg-Urach, the southern half of the country, which initiated a period of great importance of the town. Although Urach suffered many damages during the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) and also in 1796 by the French, the character of the old town is still marked by many half-timbered houses from the 15th and 16th centuries. Hyperthermal (61°C) springs were discovered at a depth of 770 m in 1970. The waters are used for the treatment of degerative and chronic inflammatory joint diseases. In 1985, the predicate Bad (spa) was added to the town's name. Today, Bad Urach is one of the most popular tourist places in southern Baden-Württemberg.
The waterfalls [near right, no. 1299, and below, no. 1881] (37 m high) of the Brühlbach stream near Bad Urach are a popular tourist attraction. As the stream has its spring in nearby tufa formations, its water is rich in calcium carbonate, which is deposited when the water gets in contact with air. The amount of material thus deposited by the falls amounts to about 20 kg per day or 7 to 8 tons (4 to 5 cubic meters) per year.
Glass no. 1881 [left] is labeled "Gestiftet von Carl Göppinger, Urach, zum Conditoren-Verbandstag 1912." ('donated by Carl Göpppinger, Urach, for the meeting of the confectioners' association 1912.').