BAD DRKHEIM

also called Drkheim, city, Rhineland-Palatinate Land (state), west-central Germany. It lies on the eastern slope of the Haardt Mountains at the entrance to the Isenach Valley, 13 miles (21 km) west of Mannheim. Originally a dependency of the Benedictine abbey of Limburg (founded in 1030 by the emperor Conrad II), the city came under the counts of Leiningen-Hartenburg, who built a castle there in the 14th century. The ruins of Limburg abbey lie to the southwest, and the city hall and casino occupy the site of the castle (destroyed by the French in 1794). The castle's church survives. Well known as a health resort, the city has saline and arsenious springs, a saltworks, and a brisk wine trade. Pop. (1995 est.) 17,982.