Bad Mergentheim sits at the northern end of the Romantic Road, technically in Baden-Württemberg rather than Bavaria. The town was the seat of the Teutonic Order from 1525 to 1809, and their enormous Deutschordensschloss — the Teutonic Order's palace — still dominates the centre. The castle museum is worth a stop for its collection of medieval armour, Baroque palace church, and the scale model of 18th-century Bad Mergentheim alone.
The old town has handsome half-timbered houses and a pleasant market square. The Marienkirche, a Dominican church finished in 1388, contains some of the best-preserved medieval frescoes in the region, including a curious anatomical detail in a 1486 Visitation scene. Bad Mergentheim is also a spa town — the mineral springs discovered by a shepherd in 1826 have drawn visitors ever since, and the formal Kurpark around them is worth a stroll. The Wildpark, on the edge of town, is a surprisingly good wildlife park with wolves, lynx, and bears in large enclosures.