Wiesbaden Tour

On Monday, January 7^th I attended the “Culture College” program provided by the Army. I met some new people and learned some German. On Tuesday, January 8th we went on a walking tour of Wiesbaden. I enjoyed seeing the buildings and learning about the history of the city where we live. Some of the things our guide showed us are hidden within downtown. Enjoy the pictures of sights we see almost every day and I will give you a little bit of history of Wiesbaden.

Wiesbaden is one of the oldest spa towns in Europe. In fact, the name Wiesbaden means “meadow baths." This is one of the hot springs located downtown. 

 

The train station was built between 1904 and 1906. Today Wiesbaden Central Station receives around 500 regional trains and is used by more than 30,000 travelers every day.

Museum Wiesbaden

Wiesbaden's smaller version of the White House. This was also a residence of Elvis for awhile.

 
 

The Kurhaus or spa house was built between 1904 and 1907. Its famous Spielbank (casino) is a very popular place in Wiesbaden.

Inside the Kurhaus lobby

 

              In front of the Kurhaus is a lawn known as the Bowling Green. There are 3 fountains like the one seen above that continue to run year round.  

The Palast Hotel was the first hotel in the world to have a phone in every room.

 

The Romans once occupied Wiesbaden. The picture on the left displays the last remnants of the Roman Wall. The picture on the right depicts how if you are not looking you might miss something. The Roman wall is nestled between two blocks downtown.

 

During the Third Reich, approximately 1,200 Wiesbaden Jews were deported and murdered. The picture on the right is the memorial built to remember the Wiesbaden Jews who lost their identities during the Holocaust. The bronze blocks in the picture on the right are found in sidewalks all over Germany. These blocks are often found in front of residences and contain the names and dates of Jewish who lost their lives in concentration camps. These blocks are meant to be stepped on to keep them shining.
  

 

The pictures above are of a model of Wiesbaden located in downtown. The picture on the right shows how many city blocks are laid out in Germany.

   

The new town hall was built in 1887. Engraved in the paving in front of the town hall are the heraldic eagle of the Holy Roman Empire, the lion of Nassau, and the fleur-de-lis of Wiesbaden.

The Protestant Marktkirche or market church was built from 1852 to 1862. Its western steeple is 302 feet tall, making the church the highest building in the city.