Bad Arolsen

Bad Arolsen (until 1997: Arolsen) is a city in the District of Waldeck-Frankenberg, northern Hesse, with a population of 17,000 (2003). It was built around the baroque 18th century residence of the Princes of Waldeck-Pyrmont, a state of the Holy Roman Empire.

Arolsen is first documented in 1131 when an Augustinian nunnery was established there. The nunnery was secularized in 1526 and became the residence of the counts of Waldeck, who converted it into a castle. It was torn down in 1710 and replaced by a new baroque structure (1713-1728) by Frederick Anthony Ulrich, Prince of Waldeck (1676-1728). From 1918 to 1929 Arolsen was capital of the Free State of Waldeck-Pyrmont (after 1922: Free State of Waldeck), which was subsequently incorporated into Prussia.