Bad Ems

The Romans built a fort here on the Upper Germanic Limes, and the hot springs in the Lahn valley developed from the seventeenth century into a resort that drew European royalty and composers through the nineteenth century; the valley is so narrow that the Kurhaus, colonnades, theatre and hotels are packed along the banks in a single line. The 1839 Kursaal, the marble hall and the colonnade survive. Emser Pastillen, salt lozenges made from the spring water, have been produced here since the nineteenth century and are still sold. UNESCO listed Bad Ems in 2021 as one of the Great Spa Towns of Europe, along with Baden-Baden and Bad Kissingen.

History

The Romans built a fort here on the Upper Germanic Limes, and they already dug for ores on the hills, mining that went on through the Middle Ages and, as the Emser lead and silver works, until 1945. The town is first recorded in 880 and received its charter in 1324, the Counts of Nassau and Katzenelnbogen rebuilt the bath, and in the 17th and 18th centuries it was one of Germany's most famous bathing resorts; in the 19th century it became the summer residence of Kaiser Wilhelm I and Tsars Nicholas I and Alexander II and drew Richard Wagner and Fyodor Dostoevsky. In 1870 the Ems Dispatch that sparked the Franco-Prussian War originated here, and in 2021 the town became part of the Great Spa Towns of Europe World Heritage Site (Wikipedia, Bad Ems).

What's there

• The valley layout - spa buildings crowded along a narrow river bank.
• The Kursaal and colonnade - nineteenth-century assembly and promenade halls.
• The Emser Pastillen - salt lozenges made from the springs since the 1800s.
• The UNESCO listing - one of eleven Great Spa Towns of Europe.

When to go

April to October; the thermal baths operate year-round. Concerts use the historic halls in summer. The valley is shaded and cool.

Good to know

Some historic buildings are hotels or private and not enterable. The town is small and quiet. The valley position means limited sun in winter.

Nearby

Koblenz lies west; Limburg is east up the Lahn.

Key facts