Bad Reichenhall / Germany

Alpine Town of the Year 2001

Bad Reichenhall is a large district town and the capital of the Berchtesgadener Land in the administrative region of Upper Bavaria. Today the town looks back on a four-thousand-year-old settlement history, which is largely linked closely to the extraction of salt from brine. Since the middle of the 19^th century the town has been known far beyond the borders of Germany as a health and holiday resort, with numerous brine springs and baths. Bad Reichenhall is therefore strongly dependent on tourism and the spa industry.

Conscious of its responsibility to preserve this capital, Bad Reichenhall has taken a variety of steps to preserve its natural resources long before any Agenda 21 or Alpine Convention was formulated. In addition to a responsibility towards the population and future generations, the main motivation for this was the spa industry which had been established in Bad Reichenhall by the middle of the 19^th century.

For many years the town has been striving to promote sustainable tourism and is a member of the Alpine Pearls tourism cooperation.