Bad Kissingen was made a town in 1235 and was enclosed in a town wall and surrounded by a moat.
The tale of the bee battle in the Swedish War
On 27 March 1645, the Swedes planned on invading Bad Kissingen to capture the town. However, the townsfolk were not ready to admit defeat quite so quickly and closed the town gates in order to barricade themselves behind the town wall. The Swedes besieged the walls for twelve days and attempted to penetrate the walls with force several times. On the 13th day, Bad Kissingen was to be finally captured in one last assault, after taking fire by the Swedish canons. As the town wall had already been badly affected and all ammunition dumps were empty, a town meeting was called in order to confer on the course of action.
Peter Heil, the mayor at the time, suggested gathering all the beehives in town and spreading them along the town wall to hurl them on the attacking Swedes. This plan was put into action right away, and when the Swedes started another attack, the beehives were pushed over the wall and smashed into pieces right amidst the attackers. The bees buzzed around the Swedes and literally stung the enemy to flight.
Legend or truth? You can visit a monument of Peter Heil, holding a beehive, at the "Eisenstädter Platz" by the town wall.
Editorial tips on the old town wall
A musical called “Peter Heil and the bee battle in Bad Kissingen", performed by the children's and youth choir Bad Kissingen is available on DVD at the town's music school.