You might hear about the town of Bad Rodach being called the Perle am Grünen Band, or the Pearl of the Green Belt, a scenic route that was once the divide between East & West Germany. I, however, couldn’t get past the word “Bad,” as that’s a clear indication of a spa town.
Oh, as much as I love history, I love a good massage. Toss up. Damn, hate when that happens. ;-)
With a clear conscience, I’ll hit up the history first — then it’s time to relax…
The Heritage Museum on the Schlossplatz, in the former Jagdschloss, is a wonderful start. How museums sum up so much history in one space is totally beyond me.
The Nightwatchman does a fantastic job, too. You’ll find him at the Pulverturm on Wednesdays from May to September.
If you’re curious to see where West Germany ended and East Germany began, the village of Grauerstadt is where you want to be — since it’s close to the Thuringian border in the Lange Berge (Long Mountains).
The Rodach Bridge is quite romantic, as is the Old Bake House and the half-timbered Rectory.
Make sure you’ve got your camera ready in the village of Heldritt. At least the Oberschloss, Nicholas Church, and Rectory are all close together.
Everyone’s earned a massage at this point, don’t ya think? The ThermeNatur is all about the hot springs. And you don’t have to leave for any reason since the joint’s got a restaurant & bistro, as well as offering summer events and art exhibitions on top of the bubble jets and lazy river.
Cultural activities aren’t limited to the ThermeNatur. The Waldbühne Heldritt is an 800 seat open air theater that’s famous for its Children’s plays in August. And you shouldn’t forget about the Bake House Festival or Maibaumfest in May.
The Fischerfest and Dorffest (Village Festival) come around a month later^, so stick around. You will have to come back for the Christmas Market, though, which isn’t held until the third weekend of Advent.
In the mean time, there are some seven Church Fairs throughout August, September, and October to keep you busy.
Now if that ain’t something to keep you occupied when you’re not getting massaged… ;-)
