"Bad Kreuznach - Kur town for the Kaiser " a Bad Kreuznach Travel Page by mtncorg

Bad Kreuznach is a quiet town only about 20 km south of the touristic circus of the Rhine Canyon. It has long been a town where Armies have been stationed, whether German, French or American. The armies have now left, but plenty of tourists - mostly Germans on Kur - still throng the city. Most of the kurhotels are along the Nahe river. People can walk along the river through beautiful parks along the Nahe or they can hike up into forested hills that abruptly rise south and west of the city.

One of the more unique features of walking along the Nahe River are the gradierwerks in the Salinental. They are basically like huge outdoor vaporizers where water is pumped up into long towers and then percolated down through branches which give off the vaporizing effects. The Kurgaeste enjoy walking around the gradierwerks, breathing the air, sitting on the benches. On a nice sunny day, it is easy to while away part of the day sitting, watching the water and the spray.

The Nahe river valley flattens out as it goes through Bad Kreuznach en route to its mixing with the waters of the Rhine, 20 km to the north in Bingen am Rhine. But Bad Krueznach (or 'BK' as it is affectionately known to more than one American servicemember who had the opportunity to share its hospitality) is sited right at the exit of a deep wooded canyon, where the Nahe has emerged from the hilllands of the Palatinate. 5 Km to the south, is the next kurtown with a typical Germanic tonguetwisting name of Bad Muenster am Stein/Ebernburg. This town is very pretty, hugging the banks of the Nahe while canyon walls steeply rise high above, festooned with the occasional castle to remind you that you are indeed in Europe. And of course, the dramatic Rotenfels are here, rising 300m above the river, draped with steeply pitched vineyards and crowned by wonderful forests.

Bad Kreuznach's primary tourist symbol is the 'Brueckenhauser' or bridge houses. The bridgehouses

The third week of August, the city puts on the annual Jahrmarkt. Many towns have similar fairs in this part of Germany - wine country - which date from much earlier times. The city is the heart of the Nahe wine region - one of the smaller and lesser known of Germany's wine regions. Though the region is small, outstanding wines are made here, in part, due to the demandingness of the sites where the grapes are grown, but also due to the art of the vinters. At the Jahrmarkt, you can taste many of the local wines in a large Oktoberfest-sized tent. Easy paths go along the river making it easy to return to your room afterwards. It is a big fest and locals look forward to it every year.