Relax in the hot springs of Baden Baden
The therapeutic value of the town's hot springs, first discovered by the Romans, is still the main draw in Baden-Baden - hardly the recipe for a party atmosphere. Nevertheless, it's a pretty town for an afternoon's stroll. South of the original Kurhaus runs Baden-Baden's most famous thoroughfare, the Lichtentaler Allee, landscaped with exotic trees and shrubs. It's flanked by the Parisian-style theatre and the Kunsthalle, which often hosts major exhibitions of twentieth-century art.
North of the Kurhaus is the Trinkhalle, whose arcades shelter frescoes illustrating local legends. Halfway up the Florintinerberg is the Marktplatz and the Stiftskirche, a Gothic hall church containing one of the masterpieces of the European sculpture, an enormous sandstone Crucifixion by Nicolaus Gerhaert von Leyden. Above the Romerbad, just east on Romerplatz, is the Friedrichsbad, begun in 1869, it is as grand as a Renaissance palace, The specialty of the house is a three-hour "Roman-Irish Bath".
The Festspielhaus Baden-Baden (Baden-Baden Festival Theatre) is Germany's largest opera house and concert hall with 2,500 seats. Opened on April 18, 1998, the new building's architecture incorporates the former central train station of Baden-Baden which, today, is the ticket sales hall and the Festspielhaus restaurant "Aida". The architect was Professor Wilhelm Holzbauer (Vienna).
What could be better than to round off your day, in fashion, in the superb environment of the Baden-Baden Casino. You will be astonished at its extravagant interior and gripped by the breathtaking suspense as you tempt fortune. It has a history that dates back over 250 years and it is fashioned on the lines of French royal palaces, the Baden-Baden Casino is, and always has been, a temple to the tempting game of chance. What was in the last century a social meeting place for nobles and only the elite, nowadays opens its doors to all of Baden-Baden's guests.
Baden-Baden is Germany's summer capital and it has everything to offer - from relaxing moments in breathtaking natural surroundings to thrilling moments while chasing your fortune in the casino.
