Bad Arolsen (, until 1997 Arolsen, Bad being the German name for Spa) is a small town in northern Hesse, Germany, in Waldeck-Frankenberg district. From 1655 until 1918 it served as the residence town of the Princes of Waldeck-Pyrmont and then until 1929 as the capital of the Waldeck Free State. The International Tracing Service has its headquarters in Bad Arolsen. In 2003, the town hosted the 43rd Hessentag state festival. Geography Location Bad Arolsen is situated roughly 45 km west of Kassel. The German-Dutch holiday road called the Orange Route runs through the town, joining towns, cities and regions associated with the House of Orange. Neighbouring communities Bad Arolsen neighbours are: the town of Diemelstadt to the north, the town of Volkmarsen (both belonging to the county of Waldeck-Frankenberg); the town of Wolfhagen in the southeast (Kassel district); the town of Waldeck to the south, the community of Twistetal to the southwest; the community of Diemelsee to the west (the last three in Waldeck-Frankenberg county) and the town of Marsberg (Hochsauerlandkreis in North Rhine-Westphalia). Constituent communities Besides the main district (8,300 inhabitants), which bears the same name as the town, Bad Arolsen consists of the following subdivisions: Braunsen, 199 inhabitants Bühle, 110 inhabitants Kohlgrund, 255 inhabitants. Helsen, 2,156 inhabitants Landau, 1,120 inhabitants Massenhausen, 583 inhabitants Mengeringhausen, 3,746 inhabitants Neu-Berich, 246 inhabitants Schmillinghausen, 495 inhabitants Volkhardinghausen, 130 inhabitants Wetterburg, 859 inhabitants History The earliest documents mentioning Arolsen date back to 1131 when an Augustinian nunnery was established there with the name of "Aroldessen". The nunnery was secularized in 1526 and in 1655 became the residence of the Counts (later Princes) of Waldeck, who converted it into a stately home. It was torn down in 1710 and replaced with a new Baroque structure (1713–1728) by Friedrich Anton Ulrich, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont (1676–1728). From 1918 to 1929 Arolsen was capital of the Free State of Waldeck-Pyrmont (after 1922: Free State of Waldeck), which was subsequently incorporated into Prussia. Politics Town council The town council's 37 seats are apportioned in accordance with municipal elections held on 26 March 2006: Note: "FWG" is a citizens' coalition. Offene Liste is the independent "Open List". Town government The town is governed by the town magistrate which is headed by the Mayor of Bad Arolsen. The incumbent Mayor is Jürgen van der Horst (Independent), first elected in 2007. His current six-year term is scheduled to