Bad Reichenhall

Bad Reichenhall: Old Salt Works

Bad Reichenhall, city, Bavaria Land (state), southern Germany. It lies in the Alpine Saalach River valley, 9 miles (14 km) southwest of Salzburg, Austria. Bad Reichenhall is a noted health and winter resort surrounded by mountains, including the Predigtstuhl (5,413 feet [1,650 metres]), ascended by cable railway. An important salt-extracting centre in Roman and medieval times, it prospered particularly under Charlemagne (c. 800). Although salt is still produced, the thermal saline springs (up to 24 percent content) are now used primarily by the health resort. The city is also a regional commercial centre. Bad Reichenhall was almost completely rebuilt after a fire in 1834. The nearby Romanesque basilica of Sankt Zeno (altered 1512–20) was the church of a former Augustinian abbey founded in 1136. Pop. (2003 est.) 16,742.