Bad Essen

Bad Essen is not included in touristic guides, and it's quite logical: there are no important attractions in the town. The prefix "Bad" makes it clear that the town is a resort. There are about 50 similar towns in Germany.

I found several interesting places in the town and around it.

Be sure to visit the The Sole Arena, a very unusual structure that is something like a huge medicinal tree. Originally, the entrances were made of redwood and contrasted beautifully with the brown finish of the exterior walls. But now, as you can see, the wood has lost its red hue due to the steam. Inside there is a fountain with special water rich in salt solutions. The fountain produces steam and visitors can inhale it while sitting inside. Additionally, a natural pine scent is added.

The healing properties of salt steam were discovered about 100 years ago in the salt mines that have been operating in the region for 500 years. The materials for the Sole Arena are selected in such a way that they do not absorb the steam quickly and do not release it by trapping it inside the structure. The construction cost 2 million euros.

There's an old water mill and a beautiful small lake with fish on the Bergstrasse Street (52.316972, 8.335444). In the middle of the lake there's an island with a small house for ducks.




If you come with children, there is a large and good playground in Bad Essen (52.317750, 8.338056).


I found another interesting place before entering the town: Memorial To German soldiers.

Two interesting places in the area are located on the other side of the Mittellandkanal. These are Ippenburg and Huennefeld castles.

Getting there: Parking 52.317000, 8.341083. Unfortunately, there is no train station in Bad Essen. Nearest station is Bohmte. I went to Bad Essen on bicycle from Melle (track) and went back from Bohmte. There are many pointers on the way. Overall trip was about 30 km. The road Melle - Bad Essen is quite difficult, a lot of ups and downs. So it is best to arrive by train at Bohmte. Maps of cycle paths can be found also on this website.