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The spa town Bad Salzdetfurth is situated at an altitude of 118 m at the river Lamme in Southern Lower Saxony.

The earliest mention of Detforde dates from 1194. At that time it was already a place where salt was produced in salterns. For centuries salt production was the main source of the economy. During the mid 19th century, however, salt trading was about to stop. As a way out of this crisis Salzdetfurth decided to found a saline spa and a sanatorium for children. Salzdetfurth thus became an accepted spa place and thus the Prussian state decided to extend the name to Bad Salzdetfurth. Even today the mighty, 250 year old graduation houses, which are used to raise the salt content of the saline, can be seen in the spa park. In the late 19th century potash production became a further important economic factor and in 1949 Bad Salzdetfurth thus obtained the status of a town. Both salt and potash production were terminated in 1992.

The modern municipality was formed in 1974 by the incorporation of several neighboring communities. Today Bad Salzdetfurth consists of 13 districts (Bad Salzdetfurth, Bodenburg, Breinum, Detfurth, Groß Düngen, Heinde, Hockeln, Klein Düngen, Lechstedt, Listringen, Östrum, Wehrstedt, and Wesseln) and has a population of about 15,000 (2004).

The historic town centre is marked by numerous half-timbered houses, some of them dating back to the 17th century.