Why Bad Oeynhausen
Bad Oeynhausen is a German spa town situated on the left bank of the Weser River at the southern foot of the Wiehengebirge hills. Located in the district of Minden-Lübbecke within the East-Westphalia-Lippe region of North Rhine-Westphalia, the town sits 39 kilometers northeast of Bielefeld and 80 kilometers west of Hanover. Agriculture accounts for a large portion of the land use across the surrounding district, and the local river Werre flows past the municipality.
The town's history stretches back over a millennium, with the district of Rehme considered its oldest area following a documented stay by Pepin the Short in 753. In the village of Bergkirchen, a pre-Christian wellspring sanctuary at a mountain pass was replaced in the ninth century by a church, where historical markers and a thirteenth-century timbered homestead stand today. Bad Oeynhausen's origin as a saline bath began in 1745 when local farmer Sültemeyer noticed salt crusting on his pigs after wallowing in mud, leading King Frederick II of Prussia to establish the Royal Saline Neusalzwerk. This discovery is commemorated today by the Sültemeyer Fountain in the city center.
During the 1830s, mining official Carl Baron of Oeynhausen searched the area for salt deposits, ultimately discovering a thermal saltwater spring in 1845. The community was renamed Royal Bath Oeynhausen by King Frederick William IV of Prussia in 1848, gained its town charter in 1860, and connected to the rail network via the Cologne-Minden line in 1847. Landscape architect Peter Joseph Lenné designed the central spa garden, which became surrounded by nineteenth-century bourgeois mansions displaying varied architectural styles. Within the grounds, the former 1908 spa hotel was later converted into the Kaiserpalais, housing a restaurant, variety theater, and venue space. Notable architecture in town also includes two buildings designed by Frank Gehry.
A central landmark of Bad Oeynhausen is the Jordansprudel, drilled in 1926. Producing 6,000 liters per minute and reaching heights of up to 40 meters on calm days, it is recognized as the world's highest carbonated thermal saltwater fountain. These mineral waters spurred the growth of modern health treatment institutions, including the Heart and Diabetes Center North Rhine-Westphalia associated with Ruhr University Hospitals, alongside specialized facilities for orthopedic rehabilitation, eating disorders, neurological conditions, and a cancer rehabilitation clinic located just outside the city.
Following World War II—during which the town served as the headquarters for the British military government before returning to local control in 1954—the municipality expanded through the merger of seven surrounding districts in 1973. Modern amenities include the Werre-Park shopping mall, which opened near the river in 1998. The town features an oceanic climate.
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