The thirteen districts of the Verwaltungsgemeinschaft, or Collective Municipality Bad Tennstedt are so-pretty-gosh-darn awesome it should be yelled from the rooftops; although that’s not exactly a German thing to do. But, how could you not, especially when you’ll find Old World flavor, extraordinary old architecture, and it even has a spa.
And what a hard decision you’ll have to make: See the old churches? Take in a museum? Hike a Nature Reserve? Try a spa treatment? Good thing the (very) nice people at the City Information Center (located at Kurstraße 10) are here to help. And thankfully there are quite a number of apartments, campsites, pensions, and hotels within the area — because there’s no way you’re gonna do it all in a day.
Please, Bad Tennstedt’s churches alone will keep you busy. Each are different, so it was hard to pick a favorite — but I managed. In my (not) so humble opinion, I think that honor goes to the Church of St. Ambrose, a strange conical tower church in the village of Haussömmern. Perhaps it was the way the snow covered the church, or the strange placement of the clock — either way, I liked it.
That’s not to take anything from the stone tower of the St. Trinitatis Church in Bad Tennstedt, or another conical tower beauty known as St. Spiritus (once a hospital church). And you can see the centuries of history when you visit the Church of St. Boniface or the Church of St. Cecilia — I just loved their square towers, and they’re an absolute must-see if you’re into this sort of thing.
Some people prefer being outdoors without any kind of man-made structure getting in the way. For you folks, you’ll want to head towards the village of Blankenburg, since there’s a Nature Reserve right next door. Plenty of opportunity to hike or cycle around just communing with nature.
I know some would rather take a more educational approach to visiting — so for you, there a couple of museums. The City Museum is housed in the Fronveste Bad Tennstedt. The original building was constructed in 1465, and once used as a prison. These days you’ll have to call ahead to see the exhibits on a typical household from the turn of the century, or how an old pharmacy once looked.
In the village of Bruschstedt, located at Straße der Einheit 91, is a Rural Life Museum. This old museum is a great educational experience for us City Folk to find out more about life away from the hustle and bustle of the big city.
Of course let’s not forget about Bad Tennstedt’s curative properties. People have been coming here for years for its sulfur springs — and even the famous writer, Novalis once lived here (not to mention Goethe). And every September the town crowns its own Quellprinzessin — a nice honor, I must say.
While I might not be royalty, I sure know how to party like a rockstar. Just kidding, the events here in town are quite fun, although a tad more subdued than partying like there’s no tomorrow. The Fountain Festival (also known as the Heimat und Brunnenfest) is always a goody, and then you’ve got events like the Rosenmontag Parade, or community get-togethers like German Walking Day in May.
Bad Tennstedt turned out to be a pretty amazing place, which is why I had to tell you all about it. Consider it my German way of yelling from the rooftops. ;-)
