History
In the first half of the 14th century German settlers acquired the Elbe meadows between Rathmannsdorf and Postelwitz from the feudal estate of Hohnstein and founded a trading post here. Schandau was first mentioned in the records in 1445 and was given, in effect, the status of a town as a result of its important location as a trading site on the Elbe in 1467 by a council constitution. Since about 1800 Bad Schandau has been a spa town and summer resort. In 1877 the place was given a permanent crossing over the river, the Carola Bridge. In 1920 the town was granted the official title of "Bad" ("Spa"). In 1936 it became a Kneipp spa.
The town is the smallest German place with its own tram service, the so-called Kirnitzschtal Tramway. The tramway runs from Schandau to Lichtenhain Waterfall and has been working since 1898.
Bad Schandau was badly hit by the flooding of the Elbe in the years 1845, 2002 and 2006. The floodwater on 16/17 August 2002 stood at 9.78 m above average, 4.28 m above the market square and 3.46 m high in the church. The Schöna gauge reached 12.04 (Bad Schandau gauge 11.88), volumetric flow 4,780 m³/s. The highwater mark was 4 cm below that of 1845. - On 3 April 2006 a highwater mark of 6.78 m and 1.28 m above the market square above average was reached at about 11 pm. Schöna gauge 8.88, volumetric flow 2720 m³/s. The square floods when the Schöna gauge reaches 7.60.
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Spa facilities of Bad Schandau around 1820
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Bad Schandau around 1850
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Bad Schandau around 1888.
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Bad Schandau around 1900
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Bad Schandau around 1900
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—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
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