Bad Orb

Bad Orb is a spa town in the Main-Kinzig district, in Hesse, Germany. It is situated 32 km east of Hanau, between the forested hills of the Spessart. Bad Orb has a population of over 9,000. Its economy is dominated by the health and tourism sectors.GeographyLocationBad Orb is located in the valley of the Orb, a tributary of the Kinzig. The town is surrounded by the wooded hills of the Spessart, including the Wintersberg. The closest larger cities are Hanau, Aschaffenburg and Frankfurt to the southwest and Fulda to the northeast.Neighboring communitiesFrom the north, clockwise, Bad Orb borders on Wächtersbach, Bad Soden-Salmünster, the unincorporated area, Jossgrund and Biebergemünd.HistoryThe region was inhabited by Celts by c. 650 BC, but it is not known whether they were aware of the local salt deposits.In 1054 Emperor Heinrich IV gifted the area around Orb (Orbaha) to the Stift St. Stefan at Mainz, it thus came under the control of the Archbishopric of Mainz, a part of which it remained until 1803. Bad Orb was first documented in 1059. Orb is referred to as a town for the first time in the 13th century.