Medieval origins Local tradition holds that Bad Homburg's documented history began with the mention of the
Villa Tidenheim in the
Lorsch codex, associated with the year 782. This
Villa Tidenheim was equated with the historic city center, which is called Dietigheim. The local historian Rüdiger Kurth has questioned this traditional story based on his study of written sources and local factors. In 2002, Kurth initiated
archaeological excavations by the
University of Frankfurt, managed by Professor Joachim Henning. The excavations showed no evidence of settlement between the beginning of the
Christian Era and the 13th century. The historical record in the Eberbach chronicles (
Eberbacher Zeugenreihe), which mentions Wortwin (or Ortwin) von Hohenberch as Homburg's founder about 1180, is the first solid evidence of the town's existence. As early as 1962, in an excavation under the Hirschgang wing of Bad Homburg Castle, two
burnt layers were discovered, which the archaeologist
Günther Binding interpreted as evidence of two former castles having occupied the site in succession and burnt down. Further digs by the University of Frankfurt at Bad Homburg Castle in April 2006, again initiated by Kurth and managed by Prof. Henning, revealed only a single burnt layer, from a
half-timbered building, possibly a castle with towers, which was dated from
ceramic finds to the 12th or 13th century. Most likely this building had an association with Wortwin's "castle". A further cultural layer from an even earlier time may lie beneath these remains. Investigations using
carbon-14 dating and
micromorphological analysis will show whether the dating can be made more precise. Homberg acquired market rights about 1330, but the document granting these rights is said to have been lost. The town's name, "Homburg", is derived from the
Hohenberg Castle. The suffix "vor der Höhe" was probably first recorded in a document of 1399. The designation
Bad was conferred in 1912. The first
landgrave of Hessen-Homburg was
Friedrich I of Hessen-Homburg. Friedrich II (1680–1708) attained fame as Prince of Homburg. In 1866, as a result of the
Austro-Prussian War, Homburg became
Prussian territory.
Spa town and imperial residence With the beginning of the spa industry in the town in the mid-19th century, Homburg became an internationally famous spa town. Bad Homburg was favoured particularly by Russian nobility. The spa industry began with the discovery of the
Elisabethenbrunnen ("Princess Elizabeth's spring") in 1834. The first spa building and the first casino in Homburg were built in 1841–1842 by the brothers
François (1806–1877) and Louis Blanc (1806–1852), who later owned the
Monte Carlo Casino. In 1860, the town was connected with
Frankfurt by a
railway line. In 1888, Homburg became known throughout the
German Empire because
Kaiser Wilhelm II made its castle his imperial summer residence. He later financed the building of the
Church of the Redeemer (Erlöserkirche) nearby. The emperor's mother also lived there for several years.
Edward VII of the United Kingdom was often a guest; it was he who introduced the
Homburg hat and turned-up trousers. Edward took fasting cures at Homburg 32 times. The Bad Homburger Golf Club in the
Röderweisen in Dornholzhausen – now part of Bad Homburg – is Germany's oldest
golf club. It had its beginnings in the Bad Homburg spa park, where the old clubhouse and even playable parts of the old
golf course can still be found. Not far away stands the Russian Chapel, properly called All Saints' Church, an
Eastern Orthodox church whose cornerstone was laid by the Russian imperial couple on 16 October 1896, although they did not attend the church's consecration almost three years later. King
Chulalongkorn of Siam (Thailand) sent a garden pavilion in gratitude for a successful cure. It was erected in 1914.
Horex was a well known German motorcycle brand of the "Horex—Fahrzeugbau AG", founded in 1923 in Bad Homburg by Fritz Kleemann.
Jewish history in Bad Homburg In 1335, permission was given by Emperor
Louis IV to
Gottfried von Eppstein to settle 10 Jews in each of the localities of
Eppstein, Homburg, and
Steinheim; it is uncertain, however, whether any Jews settled in Homburg at that time. Evidence for the existence of a permanent Jewish settlement in Homburg is found only at the beginning of the 16th century. Until 1600 it consisted of 2 or 3 families, and by 1632 these had increased to 16. The first
Jewish cemetery was purchased in the 17th century. The community continued to grow so rapidly that in 1703 the landgrave
Frederick II of Hesse decided on the construction of a special
Judengasse (Jewish quarter). A synagogue, built in 1731, was replaced by a new one in 1867. The Jewish community of Homburg was originally part of the jurisdiction of the rabbinate of
Friedberg but began to appoint its own rabbis in the 19th century. A
Hebrew printing house was located in Homburg by Seligmann ben Hirz Reis from 1710 until 1713, when he relocated to
Offenbach am Main. Among other items, he published
Jacob ibn Ḥabib's ''
Ein Ya'akov (1712). Hebrew printing was resumed there in 1724 by Samson ben Salman Hanau but lack of capital limited his output. The press was acquired in 1736 by Aaron ben Ẓevi Dessau whose publications included the Shulhan Arukh (
Ḥoshen Mishpat)'' with commentary (1742). The press was sold in 1748 and transferred in 1749 to
Roedelheim. At the beginning of the 20th century, the spa of Homburg became a meeting place of
Russian-Jewish intellectuals. The Jewish population numbered 604 (7.14% of the total population) in 1865, declining to 379 in 1910 (2.64%), and 300 in 1933. Of the 74 Jews who remained on 17 May 1939, 42 were deported in 1942/1943 to Concentration Camps, never to return.
Modern age While the spa business experienced a long-term decrease after the two world wars, the town gained importance by becoming the site for headquarters of various authorities and administrative bodies. By autumn 1946, the military government had already ordered the founding of
bizonal authorities. Bad Homburg was chosen as the seat of the financial administrative centre. On 23 July 1947, the Bizone Economic Council instituted the "Special Money and Credit Centre" here in preparation for currency reform. The centre was managed by
Ludwig Erhard. After the Federal Republic of Germany—West Germany—was founded with its capital in
Bonn, the Federal Debt Administration (
Bundesschuldenverwaltung), the Office for Security Adjustment (
Amt für Wertpapierbereinigung) and the Federal Equalization Office (
Bundesausgleichsamt) stayed in Bad Homburg. In the 20th century, Bad Homburg became a favourite residential area among the upper classes. On 30 November 1989,
Alfred Herrhausen, the manager of
Deutsche Bank, was killed and his driver was injured by a car bomb in Bad Homburg. It is alleged that this was an attack by the
Red Army Faction, though this has never been proven.
Mayors • Karl Tettenborn — 1892–1901 • Ernst Ritter von Marx — 1901–1905 • Konrad Maß — 1905–1907 • Walter Lübke DVP 1907–1924 • Georg Eberlein DVP 1924–1933 • Richard Hardt NSDAP 1933–1934 • Erich Meusel NSDAP 1933–1945 • Georg Eberlein
FDP, 1945–1948 • Karl Horn
CDU, 1948–1962 • Armin Klein CDU, 1962–1980 • Wolfgang Assmann CDU, 1980–1998 • Reinhard Wolters CDU, 1998–2003 (his election was subsequently declared invalid; Wolters was thus never officially mayor. His official acts were not invalidated, however.) • Ursula Jungherr CDU, 2003–2009 • Michael Korwisi
Bündnis '90/Grüne, 2009–2015 • Alexander Hetjes CDU, from 18 September 2015 ==Coat of arms==