516. Bad Gandersheim

 The town is full of character and is made up of many half-timbered houses. It's origins date back to 852, the town's first abbey church (Stiftskirche) was started in 856. A mineral spring was discovered in 1240 and this led to Pope Gregory IX asking for the building of the Holy Spirit Hospital. In about 1330 the Duke of Brunswick built a castle which today is used as the magistrates' court and young offenders correctional facility.As in the Middle Ages so again today two historic trade and pilgrimage routes meet each other in bad Gandersheim, running from North to South and from East to West.In the late 19th century, the city began to become known for the curative powers of its mineral springs and in 1932 it received the official right to call itself a spa town, thus 'Bad' Gandersheim, on account of these springs.In the summer of 1926 there was a three-day "Roswitha Memorial Celebration in 1000-year old Gandersheim". This was the first time the medieval author was used as a symbolic figure for the city. Similar celebrations took place in 1930 and 1933; these had clear national-socialistic themes — 'German Culture' versus 'Jewish-Communist Decadence'.In 1952, the city celebrated the 1100 year jubilee of the founding of the monastery by Liudolf. A history play "The Song of Gandersheim" was presented on the market square.The summer festival Gandersheimer Domfestspiele, was started in 1959 and has taken place yearly on the plaza in front of the Stiftskirche since that date. Bad Gandersheim has established itself as Lower Saxony's largest professional summer theatre festival. In 2006, its four major productions were attended by approximately 55,000 theatre visitors.

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