Bad Pyrmont: Spa Park, Thermal Baths and Town History

Bad Pyrmont brings together a spa park, mineral springs, thermal baths and local history. When looking for a hotel for your stay, you can choose your focus based on whether you’re most interested in the gardens, the springs and baths, or the history of the spa town. The following places offer practical ideas for planning your trip.

Spa Park, Hauptallee and Mineral Springs

Hauptallee is the central avenue of the spa town and is considered one of Germany’s oldest spa parks. Towering lime trees line the path, and the avenue also offers a wide range of places to eat and drink, making it ideal for a leisurely stroll. Here, a historic part of the townscape meets opportunities to stop for a bite to eat.

The Hyllige Born, Pyrmont’s oldest mineral spring, flows from a twelve-column fountain temple directly in front of the Wandelhalle. The Wandelhalle is in the heart of Bad Pyrmont, where the mineral waters are served. It also houses several shops, a café and an event room. If you plan to make use of these facilities, check their current availability before your trip.

Gardens, Avenues and a Barefoot Path

The Palmengarten in the spa park is Europe’s northernmost open-air palm garden. It is home to more than 500 potted plants of various species, and the palms grow up to eleven metres tall. The Asian Retreat in the western part of the spa park offers a different setting: it comprises a Japanese garden with loungers, as well as a hydrangea garden, a maple garden and a snowball garden.

The avenues and individual garden paths also each have their own character. Klosterallee is part of the spa park’s historic avenue system, which is around 3,000 metres long. The 300-metre Azaleenweg was laid out in 1926. The deciduous azaleas bloom in May in vibrant shades ranging from yellow to pink and give off an intense fragrance. The barefoot trail is more than 180 metres long and around 1.50 metres wide. It can be used at any time of year, including in winter, but only barefoot.

At the Telemanngarten, you can enjoy the peace and quiet of the park over a cup of tea in the tea house, built around 1810. On the neighbouring lawn, loungers invite you to relax. The different areas give the spa park a variety of distinct sides, from palms and themed gardens to historic avenues and a path to walk barefoot.

Thermal Baths and Nature Experiences

The HUFELAND Therme in Bad Pyrmont offers 2% brine water, as well as indoor and outdoor pools. Other facilities include several saunas, a beauty and spa area, a whirlpool and an event pool. This makes a visit to the thermal baths a potential focus in its own right, alongside walks and garden visits.

Ewilpa® Bad Pyrmont is located in Bergkurpark and is open to everyone free of charge. Visitors are expressly welcome to collect edible wild plants for free, except at Station 14. Check the local rules before collecting anything.

The History of the Spa Town and Historic Sites

Since 1987, the Museum im Schloss Bad Pyrmont has housed collections on the history of the town and its spa in the Baroque rooms on the castle island. It recalls the nearly 2,000-year history of Pyrmont’s springs. The large and small courtyards on the castle island also provide the setting for the annual “Pyrmonter Sommer” events. Check the current programme before your trip.

The Dunsthöhle is located on the site of a former quarry where red sandstone was extracted in the 17th century. Quarry workers noticed a “mist” there once they had dug to a certain depth. In 1720, Prince Friedrich Anton Ulrich of Waldeck and Pyrmont obtained permission to build a stone vault over the steaming pit, with a small building above it, so that spa guests could take a dry sweat bath. The site’s origins link it to the town’s bathing history.

If you’d like to explore more historic sites in this spa town, you can follow a historic walking tour using the Weserbergland app. There are several ways to plan your trip around your interests: the springs and their history, the spa park grounds or the thermal baths.

Discover more destinations: Löwensen, Salzhemmendorf, Aerzen, Emmerthal, Bad Münder Am Deister, Lauenstein, Hessisch Oldendorf, Hameln

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