DEUTSCHLAND	GERMANY
Bundesland: Freistaat Thüringen	Thuringia
Landkreis: Saale-Holzland-Kreis

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Bad Köstritz is situated at an elevation of 203 m on the river Weiße Elster in the Thuringian Vogtland region, about 8 km northwest of Gera, the administrative seat of the district Saale-Holzland-Kreis, and about 69 km east of Thuringia's capital, Erfurt. The municipality has a population of about 3,700 (2023).

The settlement was first mentioned in 1364 as Kostricz, a place of Slavic foundation. There has been a castle since the middle of the 13th century. The city has emerged from two medieval manors. Within the German Empire (1871–1918), Köstritz was part of the Principality of Reuss-Gera (Reuss Junior Line). Köstritz Castle, since 1690/1692 was the seat of a collateral, non-sovereign, line (Reuss-(Schleiz)-Köstritz) of the ruling House of Reuss, named counts and (from 1806) princes Reuss-Köstritz. After the Elder Line of Reuss (Reuss-Greiz) became extinct in 1928 and the death in of the last male heir of Reuss Younger Line (missing 1945, declared dead 1953), the successors of the line Reuss-Köstritz are the only surviving branch of the Reuss family.

The first bathing facility opened in 1845, which soon was enlarged by a new spa building in 1865. The status of a spa town was recognised officially in 1926, when the name of the municipality was changed to Bad Köstritz. In the following year, the municipality was granted the status and privileges of a town.

The parish church Sankt Leonhard [left, no. 4620: background] was first mentioned in 1320. Since the Reformation was introduced in the Reuss countries, the church is Protestant. The church was remodelled and enlarged in the early 18th century. The church tower obtained its present shape in 1820. The interior was remodelled in Romanesque revival style in 1891. The famous Early Baroque composer Heinrich Schütz was baptised here in 1585.

[https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_K%C3%B6stritz; https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reu%C3%9F-K%C3%B6stritz; https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Leonhard_(Bad_K%C3%B6stritz)]