Rappenau was first mentioned in 1343. According to other sources the village was previously named as Rappenheim due to its founder Rappo who was not in connection with ministerials. It is presumed that the settlement began around the 8th century. In the Middle Ages there were three villages near Rappenau: the upper village, the older lower village, and the no-more existent village Speßhardt, besides several hamlets. Rappenau belonged to the Lords of Vaihingen and Württemberg until 1339, since 1344 it still only belonged to the Lords of Württemberg. The upper and lower village grew together to a united village, bordering at the Mühlbach in the south. Eberhard von Gemmingen had built a water castle in 1601. In Thirty Years' War the village burned down several times. By the
German Mediatisation the village came to
Baden in 1806. After discovering a brine 175m below earth surface in 1822, there were big efforts to use the brine as a remedy. However, Baden had no interests in creating a bath in the first time. So there was founded a community to create the
Sophienbad (named after grand duchess Sophie von Baden) on May 15, 1834. Soon it turned out that the bath was unable to be financed, so it had to be closed. In 1845 the brine bath was opened, further increasing its capacity. In 1862 and 1882 a steam bath and brine inhalations were added. In 1887 the children's spa rooms were opened. In 1912 Prof. Dr. Oskar Vulpius opened a sanatorium containing 120 beds to treat bone, joint, and gland sufferings. Meanwhile, a new brine bath was built and opened in 1903. In 1921 there were around 84,500 overnight stays. The recognition of being a spa town goes back to a decree of 1930 by the ministry of Baden. Since then the municipality took the name
Bad Rappenau. After World War II cure bustle increased heavily. In 1952 it has been the seventh biggest spa town in Baden. In the 1970s there were four special clinics hosting around 600,000 overnight stays. Due to the administration reform of 1936 Bad Rappenau turned into the district of Sinsheim. On April 1, 1950, the village Zimmerhof has been incorporated into the municipality. From 1971 to 1973 eight further municipalities had been incorporated into Bad Rappenau. Due to the district reform of January 1, 1973, Bad Rappenau turned into the district of Heilbronn. This district belongs to the administrative district of Stuttgart, so a municipality previously belonging to Baden is now administered by Württemberg. Also in 1973 the municipality got town rights. On January 1, 2003, Bad Rappenau became a
Große Kreisstadt.
Religions ;Protestants; The area surrounding the town of Bad Rappenau originally belonged to the
Bishopric of Worms, an
ecclesiastical principality of the
Holy Roman Empire. In 1343, the Bishop of Worms permitted Konrad von Helmstatt to establish the Rappenau branch chapel of the Wimpfen parish church as a separate parish church. Beginning in 1530, the local lords introduced the
Protestant Reformation, and as a result, Rappenau became a predominantly Protestant community for centuries. After the transfer to Baden in 1806, the congregation became a member of what later became the
Evangelical Church in Baden. In 1887, the congregation laid the foundation stone for a new church, which is today's
Bad Rappenau Town Church. The Bad Rappenau parish originally belonged to the Sinsheim church district, then in 1975 it became part of the Eppingen-Bad Rappenau district. On January 1, 2005, it merged with the Sinsheim church district to form the new Kraichgau church district . In other villages of Bad Rappenau, there are also different parishes belonging to the Protestant Parish of Baden. Only the parishes of Bonfeld and Fürfeld belong to the Protestant Parish of Württemberg, since these villages belonged to Württemberg in former times. ;Catholics: In the 19th century, there were also Catholics moving to Bad Rappenau. Previously, they were cared for by the neighbouring parish of Siegelsbach. In 1896, they began having their own services in a room in the water castle. In 1929, the
Herz-Jesu-Kirche was built, and was expanded in 1954. Since its foundation, it belonged to the
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Freiburg (
deanery Kraichgau). ;Jewish community: Since the 16th century, there had been a small Jewish community in Rappenau, which was generally poor. In 1802, there were five Jewish families; and, in 1825, there were six. A small synagogue was built in 1843, and the Jewish cemetery along the road to Siegelsbach was established in 1881. The community size was over 80 members in 1875, but declined significantly over the following years due to emigration. In 1900, 46 members lived in the town, and in 1933, only 10. In 1937, the community was dissolved, the synagogue sold, and converted into a milk collection point. During the
Kristallnacht (November pogrom) of 1938, riots broke out against the few Jews still living in Rappenau. Four of the five Jews still living in Rappenau in 1940 were killed during the deportation of Jews from Germany in 1940.
Incorporations Following communal lands and villages had been introduced into Bad Rappenau. As far as not given otherwise they belonged to the district of Sinsheim until 1972. All of them came to the district of Heilbronn according to the district reform on January 1, 1973. • April 1, 1950: Zimmerhof • April 1, 1952: Zimmerhöferfeld • January 1, 1971: Babstadt, Treschklingen • January 1, 1972: Obergimpern, Wollenberg • March 1, 1972: Heinsheim (district of Mosbach) • January 1, 1973: Fürfeld (district of Heilbronn), Grombach • November 1, 1973: Bonfeld (district of Heilbronn)
Development of population 1 results of censuses ==Politics==