Bad Düben is more than just a spa town. More? Isn’t just kicking back in a spa setting with massages, saunas, and swimming pools enough?
Well, for the most part, yes! Of course, refreshing your batteries and ridding yourself of life’s daily stress is dandy, grand thing. But, to do it where you’ll find a layer cake of history makes it all the better.
Take Burg Düben for instance. Yeah, it’s a medieval castle and much older than most other castles of the Middle Ages. This particular castle was founded back in 981, and the oldest parts you can still see come from the 12th century.
The castle did undergo major reconstruction after it was sacked in 1631, 1637, and 1641. That darn Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648) sure did take its toll. (Speaking of that war, there’s a memorial stone (called the Gustav-Adolf-Stein) to the Swedish King).
Hmm, I wish walls could talk as I can only dream of the stories this Burg could tell. Like how it was the site of one of the last witch trials in Germany. The Witches Cellar is also where you’ll find Bad Düben’s Local History Museum, right down the way is the Bergschiffmühle.
I guess the 13th century Wasserschloss Schnaditz (with its English Gardens) doesn’t seem quite as old when compared to the Düben Castle, huh? OK, so we won’t compare then. ;-)
Jumping ahead a few centuries, you’ve got the Pest Portal at the Stadfriedhof (City Cemetery) that was built in 1577, the St. Nikolai Church, then there’s the Blucher Stone (1813), and the Artesian Well that was put here in 1898.
With all this sightseeing you might not notice the signs with the green Gothic styled “L.” So, just in case… I’m pointing it out. Why? Because in 2010 the Lutherweg (which is actually in Saxony-Anhalt, going towards Wittenberg and Mansfeld) was extended and places like Bad Düben were added.
If you don’t feel like going that far, just enjoy the walking paths and bicycle trails through the Dübener Heide. There are even romantic covered wagon rides available.
Then again, lounging around the Kurpark & Spa House all day sounds like a good idea to me. Ahhhh, refreshing! What? Oh, I hope you forgive me… I almost forgot to mention that its Kurpark is one of Germany’s oldest.
