Rueil-Malmaison (France) – since 1975
The city of Rueil-Malmaison in the Department “Hauts de Seine“, located eight kilometres west of the French capital, is home to about 80,000 inhabitants. A rural community in former days, today Rueil-Malmaison is a modern city, and has become a much sought-after living area outside Paris. Rueil is particularly known for its 17th-century Malmaison Castle, in which Napoléon Bonaparte and his first wife Joséphine lived. In the end of the nineteenth century many famous painters, including Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Édouard Manet und Claude Monet, came to Rueil-Malmaison to paint landscapes of the Seine.

Kitzbühel (Austria) – since 1984
The ‘secret capital’ of Tyrol, with a population of 8,300 inhabitants, lies at an altitude of 762 metres above sea level, and is considered one of Austria’s main areas of winter sports. Every January the internationally renowned Hahnenkamm skiing race attracts more than 100,000 visitors.Kitzbühel is home to famous ski racers like Toni Sailer und Ernst Hinterseer. The Alps around Kitzbühel, including the Kitzbüheler Horn and Hahnenkamm peaks, are very popular for hiking. The waters of the very idyllic Schwarzsee lake (7m deep) reach pleasant temperatures and count among the most beautiful bathing lakes in the Alps.  

Franzensbad (Czech Republic) – since 1992
Františkovy Lázně (German: Franzensbad) has approximately 5.600 inhabitants and lies in the Eger county of the Karlovarský kraj (Karlsbad Region) in western Czechia, near the Bohemian city of Eger. The spa was founded in 1793 under the name of “Kaiser Franzensdorf”, which in 1807 was changed to “Franzensbad”. Around 1700 the shipment of mineral water from Franzensbad is said to have surpassed those of all other German spa sources. The Franzensbad architectural ensemble has preserved its classicist grandeur, despite many stylistic influences – gothic, renaissance, rococo, baroque – in its historical architecture.  Franzensbad, Karlsbad and Marienbad, all in the league of world-class spas, form the famous “spa triangle“.

Yôrô-chô (Japan) – since 2004
Yôrô-chô lies in the Gifu prefecture, between Osaka and Nagoya, on the Japanese island of Honshu. First conversations with Yôrô-chô were already launched as early as 1987, while the official partnership was sealed in 2004. Surrounded by beautiful nature, the city with its 34,000 inhabitants lies at the foot of a mountain range, framed by three rivers. Yôrô-chô is famous for its eponymous waterfall, and the Yôrô Tenmei Hantenchi (reversal of fate) theme park.                                                                                                

Franklin, Tennessee (USA) – since 2016
Franklin, in the US State of Tennessee, is the youngest of Bad Soden’s twin cities. The city, named after the Founding Father Benjamin Franklin, was founded on the 26^th of October 1799. The town distinguishes itself by its historical flair, and its impressive Victorian, ante-bellum, classicist architectural structures. With its 70,000 inhabitants Franklin wields both small town charm, and the elegance of a big city. Neighbouring Nashville, the “Music City USA”, and the surrounding natural parks are always worth a visit.