| 1844 Meyer print RAKOCZY WELL, BAD KISSINGEN, BAVARIA, GERMANY, #15 |
Nice print titled Der Rakoczy-Brunnen und der Arkaden-Bau in Kissingen, from steel engraving with fine detail and clear impression, approx. page size is 27 x 18.5 cm, approx. image size is 15 x 10 cm. Print was published in Germany in Meyer's Universum by Bibliographic Institute Hildburghausen.
Bad Kissingen
Bad Kissingen is a spa town in the Bavarian region of Lower Franconia and is the capital of the district Bad Kissingen. Situated to the south of the Rhön Mountains on the Franconian Saale river, it is a world-famous health resort.
History
The town itself was first documented in the year 801 as “chizzicha” and was renowned above all for its medicinal springs, which are recorded from as early as 823. Kissingen was first mentioned as a town in 1279, and the first official spa guest was recorded in 1520, the same century that the town established itself as a spa. Kissingen grew to be a chic resort in the 19th century, and was rebuilt as such during the reign of Ludwig I of Bavaria. Crowned heads of state such as Empress Elisabeth of Austria, Tsar Alexander II of Russia and King Ludwig II of Bavaria, who bestowed the 'Bad' on Kissingen in 1883, were among the guests to the spa at this time. On July 10, 1866 in Mainfeldzug, Kissingen was the site of fierce battle between Bavarian and Prussian troops. Imperial Chancellor Otto von Bismarck visited Kissingen's spas many times, and in 1874 narrowly avoided an assassination attempt by Eduard Franz Ludwig Kullmann there. Bismarck’s former home in Kissingen is now the Bismarck museum. Other visitors to the resort included author Leo Tolstoy and artists Adolph von Menzel.