DEUTSCHLAND	GERMANY
Bundesland: Hessen	Hesse
Regierungsbezirk: Darmstadt
Kreis: Odenwaldkreis

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Bad König is situated at an elevation of 200 m (170–440 m) in the idyllic Mümling valley in the heart of the Odenwald region of southern Hesse.

The place is one of the oldest settlements in the area. Germanic tribes had already lived here and during the Roman times it might have been the location of place called Quinticum. The first written mention of Quinticha is found in documents of AD 820 to 822. During the Middle Ages the village at first was a property of the Empire and then came in possession of the monastery of Fulda. As a fief of Mainz Künnig was given to the lords of Erbach in 1477. 1556–1561 the counts of Erbach built a small castle. In 1747 the estates came in possession of the counts of Erbach-Schönberg who moved their residence here in 1750. Around 1775 the castle, today called "Altes Schloss", was extended. The new château ("Neues Schloss") was built in 1793 and in 1900 became the residence of the counts. Altes and Neues Schloss came in possession of the municipality in 1919 and 1937, respectively. Bad König was officially recognized as a spa in 1948 and in 1980 was incorporated as a town.

In order to protect the mineral springs digging and building activities in their immediate vicinity were restricted by an ordinance of the state of Hesse in 1953. In addition to the mineral springs, which have been known since long ago, a thermal (mineral) spring was discovered in 1972. The waters come from a depth of 370 m and have a temperatuer of 21°C. It is the only thermal spring of southern Hesse and the Odenwald region. The thermal bath ("Odenwald-Therme") was renovated and extended in 1997–2000.