View source for Bad Neustadt an der Saale

{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Refimprove|date=July 2011}}
{{Infobox German location
|type              = Stadt
|image_photo       = Bayern-Neustadt-Saale-Marktplatz-Hoch.jpg
|image_caption     = Market square with the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in the background
|image_coa            = DEU Bad Neustadt an der Saale COA.svg
|coordinates       = {{coord|50|19|19|N|10|12|58|E|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
|image_plan = Bad Neustadt an der Saale in NES.svg
|state        = Bayern
|region  = Lower Franconia
|district         = Rhön-Grabfeld
|elevation              = 242
|area            = 36.89
|Gemeindeschlüssel = 09673114
|postal_code               = 97616
|area_code           = 09771
|licence               = NES
|website           = {{URL|bad-neustadt.de}}
|mayor             = Michael Werner<ref>[https://www.statistik.bayern.de/wahlen/kommunalwahlen/bgm/ Liste der ersten Bürgermeister/Oberbürgermeister in kreisangehörigen Gemeinden], [[Bayerisches Landesamt für Statistik]], 15 July 2021.</ref>
|leader_term       = 2020&ndash;26
|party             = 
}}
'''Bad Neustadt an der Saale''' ({{IPA|de|baːt ˈnɔʏʃtat ʔan deːɐ̯ ˈzaːlə|-|LL-Q188 (deu)-Ionenlaser-Bad Neustadt an der Saale.wav}}, {{lit|Bad Neustadt on the [[Saale]]}}), officially '''Bad Neustadt a.d.Saale'''<ref>{{Cite web|title=Impressum|url=https://www.bad-neustadt.de/impressum/|access-date=2021-05-13|website=bad-neustadt.de|language=de}}</ref> and often simply called '''Bad Neustadt''', is a town in northern [[Bavaria]], Germany. It is the capital of the [[Rhön-Grabfeld]] district in [[Lower Franconia]]. It is situated on the rivers [[Franconian Saale]] and [[Brend (river)|Brend]], near the [[Rhön Mountains]], 30&nbsp;km north of [[Schweinfurt]], and 47&nbsp;km southeast of [[Fulda]].

== Town structure ==
Between 1972 and 1978 some originally separate villages were gathered together administratively and became part of Bad Neustadt. So today Bad Neustadt has the following {{lang|de|Stadtteile}} (parts of the town):

*Old town of Bad Neustadt (1,858)
*Western part of Bad Neustadt (2,515)
*Gartenstadt (2,235)
*[[Brendlorenzen]] (4,390)
*[[Dürrnhof]] (291)
*[[Herschfeld]] (2,716)
*[[Lebenhan]] (492)
*[[Löhrieth]] (288)
*Mühlbach (972)

''(Number of inhabitants in brackets)''

== History ==
The church ''St. Martin'' in [[Brendlorenzen]] (part of the town Bad Neustadt) was first mentioned in 742 when the [[Bishopric of Würzburg]] was founded. The church was later renamed ''St. Johannes der Täufer'' (Saint John the Baptiste church) as it became a baptism church.

In 790 [[Charlemagne]] founded the palatinate Salz in the territory of Bad Neustadt. Neustadt was first mentioned as ''nova civitas'' in a document of the bishop of [[Würzburg]] in the year 1232.
The medieval town wall of Bad Neustadt is shaped as a heart. So it is part of a romantic legend. According to this, the town was founded by [[Charlemagne]] as a present for his beloved wife, [[Fastrada]].

==Main sights==
{{Expand section|date=June 2008}}
The castle ''Salzburg'' on a hill near Bad Neustadt was founded in the 12th century. The castle was never destroyed but often renovated so the architecture has elements of [[Roman art]], [[Gothic art]] and [[Renaissance art]].

== Economics and infrastructure ==
The Rhön Klinikum AG that is headquartered in Bad Neustadt is a well known enterprise for several specialized hospitals in Germany. The hospitals in Bad Neustadt are especially famous for [[cardiac surgery|cardiac]] and [[hand surgery]].

== Neustadt in Europe and twin towns  ==
In 1979 Bad Neustadt founded a community of all towns called ''Neustadt'' (new town). Today 34 towns of 5 different countries are members of this project ''Neustadt in Europe''. Bad Neustadt is the only Neustadt with the prefix ''Bad'' ([[spa town]]).

Bad Neustadt has the following twin towns:
*{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Falaise, Calvados|Falaise]], France since 1969<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ouest-france.fr/normandie/falaise-14700/falaise-les-anecdotes-etonnantes-des-villes-jumelles-europeennes-6505807|title=Falaise. Les anecdotes étonnantes des villes jumelles européennes|first=Jérôme|last=FLURY|date=5 September 2019|website=Ouest-France.fr}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|UK}} [[Pershore]], [[Great Britain]]
*{{flagicon|ITA}} [[Cerro Maggiore]], Italy
*{{flagicon|GER}} [[Oberhof, Germany|Oberhof]], Germany
*{{flagicon|AUT}} [[Oberpullendorf]], Austria
*{{flagicon|Czech Republic}} [[Bílovec]], [[Czech Republic]]
*Israel

There are annual student exchanges with Falaise, Israel, and Pershore, as well as with [[Rochester Adams High School]] in [[Rochester Hills, Michigan|Rochester Hills]], United States and [[Smith's Hill High School]] in [[Wollongong]], [[New South Wales]], [[Australia]].

== Sport ==
Soccer is the most popular sport in Bad Neustadt. There are six football clubs (VfL Sportfreunde Bad Neustadt, TSV Brendlorenzen, SV Herschfeld, DJK Mühlbach, DJK Lebenhan, DJK Löhrieth).

In spite of this Bad Neustadt is most successful in [[Team handball|handball]]. Bad Neustadt has played in the third division ''(Regionalliga)'' for several years. One season Bad Neustadt even played in the second division ''(2nd Bundesliga)''.

During the [[2006 FIFA World Cup]] Bad Neustadt was the host town of the national team of [[Anguilla national football team|Anguilla]]. According to the [[FIFA rankings]], Anguilla was ranked 196 out of 205 teams in 2006. As a member of the FIFA family the team was invited as a representative for all not-qualified teams.

==Sons and daughters of the town==
* Margarethe Luther, née Lindemann (1459-1531), mother of [[Martin Luther]]
* [[Willi Ankermüller]] (1901-1986), German jurist and politician
* [[Karl Ludwig Freiherr von und zu Guttenberg]] (1902-1945), German Resistance fighter in World War II
* Thomas Kessler (born 1955), general vicar of the diocese of Würzburg
* [[Candy DeRouge]] (alias Wolfgang Detmann) music producer and songwriter
* Uwe Müller (born 1960), German author
* [[Nosie Katzmann]], (born 1959), German music producer
* [[Benjamin Schöckel]] (born 1980), German footballer

==External links==
*{{Commonscat-inline|Bad Neustadt an der Saale}}
*{{Wikivoyage-inline|Bad Neustadt an der Saale}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{Cities and towns in Rhön-Grabfeld (district)}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bad Neustadt An Der Saale}}
[[Category:Spa towns in Germany]]
[[Category:Rhön-Grabfeld]]