Here is a tongue twister name of a town for you. Try saying it slow: Bad Gottleuba-Berggießhübel. Ha-ha, guess what? It ain’t so easy to say in German, let alone trying to get it out in English.
Saxony, I think you’re messing with us.
What Bad Gottleuba-Berggießhübel is doing, on the other hand, is offering one of the best spa towns around. The scenery of the Ore Mountains and Saxon Switzerland isn’t so bad, either.
Most of the town’s villages, by the way, date back to the Middle Ages, offering some historical stuff on top of the multitude of spa services available. Some of the town’s sights are easily seen, like the old Milemarkers from the 18th century. Some sights you’ll have to look for, such as the numerous shrine stones.
There are a bunch of memorial stones scattered about, a number of them in honor of those who died on a Death March in 1945. One of my favorite monuments is the one to the Olympic torch from the 1936 Games. Everyone loves the Olympics, right?
As I said, the history of Bad Gottleuba-Berggießhübel goes back many centuries ago, which is why you’ll see an old castle (Schloss Friedrichsthal), and a gaggle of churches. St. Peter’s dates around the 13th century, although you’d never know it.
Must be that fresh mountain air, or something. You can be well preserved, too, if you get into the whole spa and exercise thing. There is a Kneipp area, a spa park, promenades to walk, Nordic walking trails, hiking along the Augustusberg (the views are worth the effort, trust me), swimming, and cycling. Plus, you won’t regret climbing up the Bismarckturm, either.
Sounds like the perfect time for a massage. In my world it is.
While relaxing you can think about how the hard to say town of Bad Gottleuba-Berggießhübel once belonged to the Kingdom of Bohemia. What do you expect, the Czech Republic is literally right next door.
Despite being plundered and pillaged during the Thirty Years’ War, occupied by French troops, and bombed by the Red Army — Bad Gottleuba-Berggießhübel has become one of the best hidden treasures of Saxony; even if the place is the hardest thing to say in any language.
