Baden-Baden () is a
spa town
A spa town is a resort town based on a mineral spa (a developed mineral spring). Patrons visit spas to "take the waters" for their purported health benefits.
Thomas Guidott set up a medical practice in the English town of Bath in 1668. He ...
in the
state
State may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State
* ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States
* ''Our S ...
of
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...
, south-western
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, at the north-western border of the
Black Forest
The Black Forest (german: Schwarzwald ) is a large forested mountain range in the state of Baden-Württemberg in southwest Germany, bounded by the Rhine Valley to the west and south and close to the borders with France and Switzerland. It is t ...
mountain range on the small river
Oos, ten kilometres (six miles) east of the
Rhine
), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source1_coordinates=
, source1_elevation =
, source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein
, source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source2_coordinates=
, so ...
, the border with
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
, and forty kilometres (twenty-five miles) north-east of
Strasbourg, France
Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label= Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label=Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the Eu ...
.
In 2021, the town became part of the transnational
UNESCO World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...
under the name "
Great Spa Towns of Europe
The Great Spa Towns of Europe is a transnational World Heritage Site consisting of a selection of 11 spa towns across seven European countries. They were developed around natural mineral water springs. From the early 18th century to the 1930s, W ...
", because of its famous spas and architecture that exemplifies the popularity of spa towns in Europe in the 18th through 20th centuries.
Name
The springs at Baden-Baden were known to the
Romans
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
* Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
as ("The Waters")
and ("
Aurelia-of-the-Waters") after
M. Aurelius Severus Alexander Augustus.
In
modern German
New High German (NHG; german: Neuhochdeutsch (Nhd.)) is the term used for the most recent period in the history of the German language, starting in the 17th century. It is a loan translation of the German (). The most important characteristic o ...
, ' is a
noun
A noun () is a word that generally functions as the name of a specific object or set of objects, such as living creatures, places, actions, qualities, states of existence, or ideas.Example nouns for:
* Living creatures (including people, alive, ...
meaning "bathing" but Baden, the original name of the town, derives from an earlier
plural form of ' (
"bath").
(Modern German uses the plural form '.) As with the
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
placename
Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of ''toponyms'' ( proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage and types. Toponym is the general term for a proper name of ...
"Bath", other Badens are at
hot springs throughout
Central Europe
Central Europe is an area of Europe between Western Europe and Eastern Europe, based on a common historical, social and cultural identity. The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) between Catholicism and Protestantism significantly shaped the a ...
. The current
doubled name arose to distinguish it from the others,
[ particularly Baden near Vienna in ]Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
and Baden near Zürich in Switzerland. The original Margraviate of Baden
The Margraviate of Baden (german: Markgrafschaft Baden) was a historical territory of the Holy Roman Empire. Spread along the east side of the Upper Rhine River in southwestern Germany, it was named a margraviate in 1112 and existed until 1535, ...
(1112-1535) split into several territories, including Baden-Baden and Baden-Durlach. The name "Baden-Baden" distinguished the Margraviate of Baden-Baden (1535–1771), from the Margraviate of Baden-Durlach. "Baden-Baden" thus means the town of Baden in the territory of Baden, whereas the name of the Margraviate of Baden-Baden meant "the Margraviate of Baden with its princely seat at Baden". Baden-Baden formally got its current name in 1931.
Geography
Baden-Baden lies in a valley of the Northern Black Forest
The Black Forest (german: Schwarzwald ) is a large forested mountain range in the state of Baden-Württemberg in southwest Germany, bounded by the Rhine Valley to the west and south and close to the borders with France and Switzerland. It is t ...
in southwestern Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. The western districts lie within the Upper Rhine Plain
The Upper Rhine Plain, Rhine Rift Valley or Upper Rhine Graben ( German: ''Oberrheinische Tiefebene'', ''Oberrheinisches Tiefland'' or ''Oberrheingraben'', French: ''Vallée du Rhin'') is a major rift, about and on average , between Basel in the ...
. The highest mountain of Baden-Baden is the Badener Höhe
The Badener Höhe is a mountain in the Northern Black Forest in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It lies within the borough of Baden-Baden and municipality of Forbach. With a height of , it is the highest point in the borough of Baden-Bade ...
(), which is part of the Black Forest National Park
The Black Forest National Park (german: Nationalpark Schwarzwald) is a national park in the state of Baden-Württemberg in the southwest of Germany.
It has an area of and is located on the main crest of the Northern Black Forest, mainly between ...
. The old town lies on the side of a hill on the right bank of the Oos. Since the 19th century, the principal resorts have been located on the other side of the river. There are 29 natural springs in the area, varying in temperature from . The water is rich in salt
Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quant ...
and flows from artesian wells
An artesian aquifer is a confined aquifer containing groundwater under positive pressure. An artesian aquifer has trapped water, surrounded by layers of impermeable rock or clay, which apply positive pressure to the water contained within th ...
under Florentine Hill at a rate of 341 litres (90 gallons) per minute and is conveyed through pipes to the town's baths.
History
Roman settlement at Baden-Baden has been dated as far back as the emperor
An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...
Hadrian, but on dubious authority. The known ruins of the Roman bath were rediscovered just below the New Castle in 1847 and date to the reign of Caracalla
Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (born Lucius Septimius Bassianus, 4 April 188 – 8 April 217), better known by his nickname "Caracalla" () was Roman emperor from 198 to 217. He was a member of the Severan dynasty, the elder son of Emperor S ...
(AD 210s), who visited the area to relieve his arthritic aches.[.] The facilities were used by the Roman garrison in Strasbourg.
The town fell into ruin but its church was first constructed in the 7th century. By 1112, it was the seat of the Margraviate of Baden
The Margraviate of Baden (german: Markgrafschaft Baden) was a historical territory of the Holy Roman Empire. Spread along the east side of the Upper Rhine River in southwestern Germany, it was named a margraviate in 1112 and existed until 1535, ...
. The Lichtenthal Convent (') was founded in 1254. The margraves initially used Hohenbaden Castle (the Old Castle, '), whose ruins still occupy the summit above the town, but they completed and moved to the New Castle (') in 1479. The Margraviate was divided in 1535, with Baden-Baden becoming the capital of the Margraviate of Baden-Baden
The Margraviate of Baden-Baden was an early modern southwest German territory within the Holy Roman Empire. It was created in 1535 along with the Margraviate of Baden-Durlach as a result of the division of the Margraviate of Baden. Its territory ...
, while the other portion became the Margraviate of Baden-Durlach
The Margraviate of Baden-Durlach was an early modern territory of the Holy Roman Empire, in the upper Rhine valley, which existed from 1535 to 1771. It was formed when the Margraviate of Baden was split between the sons of Margrave Christopher ...
. The Baden-Baden witch trials, an investigating encompassing the entire territory and resulting in hundreds of verdicts, took place in 1627-1631. Baden suffered severely during the Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battle ...
, particularly at the hands of the French, who plundered it in 1643. They returned to occupy the city in 1688 at the onset of the Nine Years' War, burning it to the ground the next year. The margravine Sibylla rebuilt the New Castle in 1697, but the margrave
Margrave was originally the medieval title for the military commander assigned to maintain the defence of one of the border provinces of the Holy Roman Empire or of a kingdom. That position became hereditary in certain feudal families in the Em ...
Louis William removed his seat to Rastatt
Rastatt () is a town with a Baroque core, District of Rastatt, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located in the Upper Rhine Plain on the Murg river, above its junction with the Rhine and has a population of around 50,000 (2011). Rastatt was a ...
in 1706. The Stiftskirche was rebuilt in 1753 and houses the tombs of several of the margraves.
The town began its recovery in the late 18th century, serving as a refuge for émigrés from the French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...
. The town was frequented during the Second Congress of Rastatt
The Second Congress of Rastatt, which began its deliberations in November 1797, was intended to negotiate a general peace between the French Republic and the Holy Roman Empire, and to draw up a compensation plan to compensate those princes whose ...
in 1797–99 and became popular after the visit of the Prussian
Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an e ...
queen in the early 19th century. She came for medicinal reasons, as the waters were recommended for gout
Gout ( ) is a form of inflammatory arthritis characterized by recurrent attacks of a red, tender, hot and swollen joint, caused by deposition of monosodium urate monohydrate crystals. Pain typically comes on rapidly, reaching maximal intens ...
, rheumatism, paralysis, neuralgia
Neuralgia (Greek ''neuron'', "nerve" + ''algos'', "pain") is pain in the distribution of one or more nerves, as in intercostal neuralgia, trigeminal neuralgia, and glossopharyngeal neuralgia.
Classification
Under the general heading of neural ...
, skin disorders, and stones. The Ducal government subsequently subsidized the resort's development. The town became a meeting place for celebrities, who visited the hot springs and the town's other amenities: luxury hotels, the Spielbank Casino, horse races, and the gardens of the Lichtentaler Allee
The Lichtentaler Allee is a historic park and arboretum, set out as a 2.3 kilometer strolling avenue along the west bank of the river Oos in Baden-Baden, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is open daily without charge.
Baden-Baden-Lichtentaler All ...
. Guests included Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...
, Wilhelm I
William I or Wilhelm I (german: Wilhelm Friedrich Ludwig; 22 March 1797 – 9 March 1888) was King of Prussia from 2 January 1861 and German Emperor from 18 January 1871 until his death in 1888. A member of the House of Hohenzollern, he was the ...
, and Berlioz.[ The pumproom (') was completed in 1842. The Grand Duchy's railway's mainline reached Baden in 1845. Reaching its zenith under ]Napoleon III
Napoleon III (Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was the first President of France (as Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte) from 1848 to 1852 and the last monarch of France as Emperor of the French from 1852 to 1870. A nephew ...
in the 1850s and '60s, Baden became "Europe's summer capital". With a population of around , the town's size could quadruple during the tourist season, with the French, British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
, Russians
, native_name_lang = ru
, image =
, caption =
, population =
, popplace =
118 million Russians in the Russian Federation (2002 '' Winkler Prins'' estimate)
, region1 =
, pop1 ...
, and Americans
Americans are the citizens and nationals of the United States of America.; ; Although direct citizens and nationals make up the majority of Americans, many dual citizens, expatriates, and permanent residents could also legally claim Ame ...
all well represented. (French tourism fell off following the Franco-Prussian War.)
The theater was completed in 1861 and a Greek church with a gilt dome was erected on the Michaelsberg in 1863 to serve as the tomb of the teenage son of the prince of Moldavia
Moldavia ( ro, Moldova, or , literally "The Country of Moldavia"; in Romanian Cyrillic alphabet, Romanian Cyrillic: or ; chu, Землѧ Молдавскаѧ; el, Ἡγεμονία τῆς Μολδαβίας) is a historical region and for ...
Mihail Sturdza
Mihail Sturdza (24 April 1794, Iași – 8 May 1884, Paris), sometimes anglicized as Michael Stourdza, was prince of Moldavia from 1834 to 1849. He was cousin of Roxandra Sturdza and Alexandru Sturdza.
Biography
He was son of Grigore Sturdza, s ...
after he died during a family vacation. A Russian Orthodox
Russian Orthodoxy (russian: Русское православие) is the body of several churches within the larger communion of Eastern Orthodox Christianity, whose liturgy is or was traditionally conducted in Church Slavonic language. Most ...
church was also subsequently erected. The casino was closed for a time in the 1870s.
Just before the First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, the town was receiving visitors each year.
During the Second World War, 3.1% of the houses in Baden-Baden were completely destroyed by bombs and 125 civilians were killed. 5.8% of the houses were heavily damaged by bombs. Lichtenthal, a residential area in the southwest of the town, was hit by bombs and Saint Bonifatius Church was severely damaged on 11 March 1943. Balg, a residential area in the northeast of Baden-Baden, was hit by bombs on 17 December 1944. On 30 December 1944 one third of the buildings of Oos (i.e. about 300 houses), a residential area in the north of the town, was destroyed or heavily damaged by bombs and Saint Dionysius Church was severely damaged as well. On 2 January 1945 the railway station of Oos and various barracks on Schwarzwald Road were heavily damaged by bombs.
After World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, Baden-Baden became the headquarters of the French occupation forces in Germany as well as of the Südwestfunk, one of Germany's large public broadcasting stations, which is now part of Südwestrundfunk
Südwestrundfunk (SWR; ''Southwest Broadcasting'') is a regional public broadcasting corporation serving the southwest of Germany , specifically the federal states of Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate. The corporation has main offices ...
. From 23–28 September 1981, the XIth Olympic Congress
An Olympic Congress is a large gathering of representatives from the different constituencies of the Olympic Movement, organised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). As detailed in chapter 1, rule 4 of the Olympic Charter, the IOC Pres ...
took place in Baden-Baden's '. The Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, Germany's largest opera and concert house, opened in 1998.
CFB Baden-Soellingen, a military airfield built in the 1950s in the Upper Rhine Plain
The Upper Rhine Plain, Rhine Rift Valley or Upper Rhine Graben ( German: ''Oberrheinische Tiefebene'', ''Oberrheinisches Tiefland'' or ''Oberrheingraben'', French: ''Vallée du Rhin'') is a major rift, about and on average , between Basel in the ...
, west of downtown Baden-Baden, was converted into a civil airport in the 1990s. Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden Airport, or Baden Airpark
Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden Airport (German: ''Flughafen Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden'') is the international airport of Karlsruhe, the second-largest city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, and also serves the spa town of Baden-Baden. It is the stat ...
is now the second-largest airport in Baden-Württemberg by number of passengers.
In 1981 Baden-Baden hosted the Olympic Congress
An Olympic Congress is a large gathering of representatives from the different constituencies of the Olympic Movement, organised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). As detailed in chapter 1, rule 4 of the Olympic Charter, the IOC Pres ...
, which later has made the town awarded the designation Olympic town.
Climate
Climate in this area has mild differences between highs and lows, and there is precipitation
In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravitational pull from clouds. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, sleet, snow, ice pellets, graupel and hail. ...
year round. The Köppen Climate Classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
subtype for this climate is " Cfb" (Marine West Coast Climate/ Oceanic climate).
Lord Mayors
* 1907–1929: Reinhard Fieser
* 1929–1934: Hermann Elfner
* 1934–1945: Hans Schwedhelm (when he was not in office because of military service, mayor Kurt Bürkle was in office)
* April 1945–May 1945: Ludwig Schmitt
* May 1945–January 1946: Karl Beck
* January 1946–September 1946: Eddy Schacht
* 1946–1969: Ernst Schlapper (CDU) (1888-1976)
* 1969–1990: Walter Carlein (CDU) (1922-2011)
* 1990–1998: Ulrich Wendt (CDU)
* 1998–2006: Sigrun Lang (independent)
* 2006–2014: Wolfgang Gerstner (born 1955), (CDU)
* 2014-2022: Margret Mergen (born 1961), (CDU)
* 2022-present: Dietmar Späth (independent)
Tourism
Baden-Baden is a German spa town. The city offers many options for sports enthusiasts;[ golf and tennis are both popular in the area.][ Horse races take place each May, August and October at nearby ]Iffezheim
Iffezheim is a town in the district of Rastatt in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. It lies close to the Rhine river, where the Lock Iffezheim is also situated. Iffezheim is also known for the horse races, which takes place three times a year.
Poli ...
.[ The countryside is ideal for hiking and mountain climbing.][ In the winter Baden-Baden is a skiing destination.][ There is an 18-hole ]golf course
A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". ...
in Fremersberg.
Sights include:
* The ', whose ' ("Spa Garden") hosts the annual Baden-Baden Summer Nights, featuring live classical music concerts
* Casino
* Friedrichsbad
* Caracalla Spa
* Lichtentaler Allee
The Lichtentaler Allee is a historic park and arboretum, set out as a 2.3 kilometer strolling avenue along the west bank of the river Oos in Baden-Baden, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is open daily without charge.
Baden-Baden-Lichtentaler All ...
park and gardens
* Staatliche Kunsthalle Baden-Baden (State Art Gallery)
* Museum Frieder Burda
A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make thes ...
built by Richard Meier for one of Germany's most extensive collections of modern art
* Fabergé Museum
* Museum der Kunst und Technik des 19. Jahrhunderts (Lichtentaler Allee 8), covering the technology of the 19th century
* Kunstmuseum Gehrke-Remund, which exhibits the work of Frida Kahlo
* ', Johannes Brahms's residence, which has been preserved as a museum
* Hohenbaden Castle or ''Old Castle'', a ruin since the 16th century
* New Castle ('), the former residence of the margraves and grand dukes of Baden, now a historical museum
* Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, the second-largest festival hall in Europe
* Ruins of Roman baths, excavated in 1847
* ', a church including the tombs of fourteen margraves of Baden
* Paradise ('), an Italian-style Renaissance garden with many trick fountains
* Mount Merkur, including the Merkurbergbahn funicular
A funicular (, , ) is a type of cable railway system that connects points along a railway track laid on a steep slope. The system is characterized by two counterbalanced carriages (also called cars or trains) permanently attached to opposite e ...
railway and observation tower
An observation tower is a structure used to view events from a long distance and to create a full 360 degree range of vision to conduct long distance observations. Observation towers are usually at least tall and are made from stone, iron, an ...
* Fremersberg Tower
* Sturdza Chapel on the Michaelsberg, a neoclassical chapel with a gilded dome designed by Leo von Klenze
Leo von Klenze (Franz Karl Leopold von Klenze; 29 February 1784, Buchladen (Bockelah / Bocla) near Schladen – 26 January 1864, Munich) was a German neoclassicist architect, painter and writer. Court architect of Bavarian King Ludwig I, Le ...
which was erected over the tomb of prince Michel Sturdza's son
Transport
Road
The main road link is autobahn A5 between Freiburg
Freiburg im Breisgau (; abbreviated as Freiburg i. Br. or Freiburg i. B.; Low Alemannic: ''Friburg im Brisgau''), commonly referred to as Freiburg, is an independent city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. With a population of about 230,000 (as o ...
and Frankfurt
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , " Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on it ...
, which is 10 km away from the city.
There are two stations providing intercity bus service
An intercity bus service (North American English) or intercity coach service (British English and Commonwealth English), also called a long-distance, express, over-the-road, commercial, long-haul, or highway bus or coach service, is a public tr ...
s: one next to the main railway station and one at the airport.
Railway
Baden-Baden has three stations, Baden-Baden station
Baden-Baden station is the most important of the three railway stations in the city of Baden-Baden in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is regularly served by local and long distance trains operated by Deutsche Bahn. It is also the serv ...
being the most important of them.
Air
Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden Airport
Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden Airport (German: ''Flughafen Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden'') is the international airport of Karlsruhe, the second-largest city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, and also serves the spa town of Baden-Baden. It is the stat ...
is an airport located in Baden-Baden that also serves the city of Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe ( , , ; South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the third-largest city of the German state (''Land'') of Baden-Württemberg after its capital of Stuttgart and Mannheim, and the 22nd-largest city in the nation, with 308,436 inhabitants. ...
. It is Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...
's second-largest airport after Stuttgart Airport, and the 18th-largest in Germany with 1,110,500 passengers as of 2016 and mostly serves low-cost and leisure flights.
Image gallery
File:Baden-Baden - Altstadt.jpg, old town (')
File:View of Baden-baden.jpeg, Florentine Hill ('), with the New Castle (top right), the Caracalla Spa (lower right), and the ' (lower left)
File:Stiftskirche von Baden-Baden.jpg, Baden-Baden's parish church (')
File:Baden-Baden 10-2015 img37 Pump house.jpg, The '
File:Brenners.jpg, Brenner's Park Hotel
File:Baden-Baden Russische Kirche 01-gje.jpg, The Russian Orthodox Church (')
Baden-Baden-Stourdza-Kapelle-01-gje.jpg, Sturdza Chapel
File:Baden-Baden-Roemerplatz-32-Friedrichsbad-Neues Schloss-Kloster vom Heiligen Grab-2022-gje.jpg, The ', New Castle, and Abbey School (')
Baden-Baden Kurmuschel.jpg, The Spa Shell, an open-air concert venue
File:Baden-Baden 10-2015 img39 Museum Frieder Burda.jpg, Museum Frieder Burda
Baden-Baden-Lichtentaler Allee-516-Spaziergaenger-2012-gje.jpg, Lichtentaler Allee
Baden-Baden-Kunsthalle-22-Burdamuseum-Joan Miro-Femme 1970-2007-gje.jpg, Staatliche Kunsthalle Baden-Baden
Baden-Baden-Faberge-Museum-04-2021-gje.jpg, Fabergé Museum
Baden-Baden-Museum19-02-Baden in Schoenheit-2020-gje.jpg, Museum der Kunst und Technik des 19. Jahrhunderts
Baden-Baden-Brahmshaus-40-Wohnzimmer-2017-gje.jpg, Brahmshaus
Baden-Baden-Festspielhaus-Alter Bahnhof-72-Suedecke-gje.jpg, Festspielhaus Baden-Baden
Baden-Baden-Merkurturm-20-2014-gje.jpg, Mount Merkur, tower
Baden-Baden-vom Korbmattfelsen-54-Fremersberg-2021-gje.jpg, Fremersberg Tower
File:Hohenbaden hb.JPG, The Old Castle
File:Baden-Baden-Kurhaus-27-2021-gje.jpg, The ' and Casino
Twin towns – sister cities
Baden-Baden is twinned with:
* Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic
* Menton
Menton (; , written ''Menton'' in classical norm or ''Mentan'' in Mistralian norm; it, Mentone ) is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region on the French Riviera, close to the Italian border.
Me ...
, France
* Moncalieri
Moncalieri (; pms, Moncalé ) is a town and ''comune'' of 56,134 inhabitants (31 January 2022) about directly south of downtown Turin (to whose Metropolitan City it belongs), in Piedmont, Italy. It is the most populous suburb of Turin and it is ...
, Italy
* Sochi, Russia
* Yalta
Yalta (: Я́лта) is a resort city on the south coast of the Crimean Peninsula surrounded by the Black Sea. It serves as the administrative center of Yalta Municipality, one of the regions within Crimea. Yalta, along with the rest of Cri ...
, Ukraine
Artistic depiction
Baden featured in Tolstoy
Count Lev Nikolayevich TolstoyTolstoy pronounced his first name as , which corresponds to the romanization ''Lyov''. () (; russian: link=no, Лев Николаевич Толстой,In Tolstoy's day, his name was written as in pre-refor ...
's ''Anna Karenina
''Anna Karenina'' ( rus, «Анна Каренина», p=ˈanːə kɐˈrʲenʲɪnə) is a novel by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy, first published in book form in 1878. Widely considered to be one of the greatest works of literature ever writt ...
'' (under an alias)[ and ]Turgenev
Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev (; rus, links=no, Ива́н Серге́евич Турге́невIn Turgenev's day, his name was written ., p=ɪˈvan sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ tʊrˈɡʲenʲɪf; 9 November 1818 – 3 September 1883 (Old Style dat ...
's ''Smoke
Smoke is a suspension of airborne particulates and gases emitted when a material undergoes combustion or pyrolysis, together with the quantity of air that is entrained or otherwise mixed into the mass. It is commonly an unwanted by-produc ...
''. Dostoyevsky
Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky (, ; rus, Фёдор Михайлович Достоевский, Fyódor Mikháylovich Dostoyévskiy, p=ˈfʲɵdər mʲɪˈxajləvʲɪdʑ dəstɐˈjefskʲɪj, a=ru-Dostoevsky.ogg, links=yes; 11 November 18219 ...
wrote '' The Gambler'' while compulsively gambling at the town's casino.[
The novel '' Summer in Baden-Baden'' by Leonid Tsypkin is inspired in Dostoyevsky's visit to this resort.
The 1975 film '' The Romantic Englishwoman'' was filmed on location in Baden-Baden, featuring the Brenner's Park Hotel particularly prominently. The 1997 ]Bollywood
Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...
movie ''Dil To Pagal Hai
''Dil To Pagal Hai'' (; ), is a 1997 Indian Hindi-language musical romance film directed by Yash Chopra. The film follows the love lives of the members of a musical troupe, in which two dancers played by Madhuri Dixit and Karisma Kapoor get ent ...
'' was also shot in the town.
Baden-Baden is the subject of a pop song by Finnish songwriter Chisu of how the economic woes of Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
could be solved by selling bottled tears to Europe (specifically Baden-Baden).
Notable people
Public service & commerce
* Philip II, Margrave of Baden-Baden (1559–1588), Margrave of Baden-Baden, 1571 to 1588
* William, Margrave of Baden-Baden
Margrave William of Baden-Baden (30 July 1593 – 22 May 1677) was the ruler of Baden-Baden between 1621 and 1677.
Life
Born in Baden-Baden, he was the eldest son of Margrave Edward Fortunatus of Baden and Maria of Eicken. He was Geheimrat, Gene ...
(1593–1677), regent of Baden-Baden, 1621 and 1677
* Ferdinand Maximilian of Baden-Baden (1625–1669), father of the "Türkenlouis" Louis William, Margrave of Baden-Baden
Louis William, Margrave of Baden-Baden (german: links=no, Ludwig Wilhelm von Baden-Baden; 8 April 1655 – 4 January 1707) was the ruling Margrave of Baden-Baden in Germany and chief commander of the Imperial army. He was also known as ''Türken ...
* Friedrich, Freiherr von Zoller (1762–1821), Bavarian lieutenant-general who fought in the Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
* Emil Kessler (1813–1867), entrepreneur, founder of the Maschinenfabrik Esslingen
Maschinenfabrik Esslingen (ME), was a German engineering firm that manufactured locomotives, tramways, railway wagons, roll-blocks, technical equipment for the railways, (turntables and traversers), bridges, steel structures, pumps and boiler ...
* Colonel Francis Mahler (1826–1863), officer in the Union Army
During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...
during the American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...
* Richard Enderlin (1843-1930), Union Army
During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...
, Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valo ...
recipient for rescuing a fallen comrade during the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg () was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, by Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War. In the battle, Union Major General George Meade's Army of the Po ...
during the American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...
* William Hespeler
William Hespeler (December 29, 1830 – April 18, 1921), born ''Wilhelm'', was a German-Canadian businessman, immigration agent, and member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba. He served as Speaker of the Legislature and as honorary co ...
(1830–1921), German-Canadian businessman, immigration agent and a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
The Legislative Assembly of Manitoba (french: Assemblée législative du Manitoba) is the deliberative assembly of the Manitoba Legislature in the Canadian province of Manitoba. Fifty-seven members are elected to this assembly at provincial gen ...
* Francis Pigou
Francis Pigou (3 January 1832 – 25 January 1916) was an Anglican priest in the second half of the 19th century and the early part of the 20th.
Career
He was born in Baden-Baden and educated at Ripon Grammar School and Trinity College, Dub ...
(1832–1916), Anglican priest
* Sir William Des Vœux (1834–1909), British colonial governor, Governor of Fiji
Fiji was a British Crown colony from 1874 to 1970, and an independent dominion in the Commonwealth from 1970 to 1987. During this period, the head of state was the British monarch, but in practice his or her functions were normally exercised loca ...
(1880–1885), Governor of Newfoundland
The lieutenant governor of Newfoundland and Labrador () is the viceregal representative in Newfoundland and Labrador of the , who operates distinctly within the province but is also shared equally with the ten other jurisdictions of Canada, as ...
(1886–1887) and Governor of Hong Kong
The governor of Hong Kong was the representative of the British Crown in Hong Kong from 1843 to 1997. In this capacity, the governor was president of the Executive Council and commander-in-chief of the British Forces Overseas Hong Kong. ...
(1887–1891)
* Prince Maximilian of Baden
Maximilian, Margrave of Baden (''Maximilian Alexander Friedrich Wilhelm''; 10 July 1867 – 6 November 1929),Almanach de Gotha. ''Haus Baden (Maison de Bade)''. Justus Perthes, Gotha, 1944, p. 18, (French). also known as Max von Baden, was a Ge ...
(1867–1929), last heir of the Grand Duchy of Baden, a German prince, general and politician
* Louis II, Prince of Monaco (1870–1949), Prince of Monaco from 1922 to 1949
* Wilhelm Brückner (1884–1954), officer and chief adjutant of Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
* Rudolf Höss
Rudolf Franz Ferdinand Höss (also Höß, Hoeß, or Hoess; 25 November 1901 – 16 April 1947) was a German SS officer during the Nazi era who, after the defeat of Nazi Germany, was convicted for war crimes. Höss was the longest-serving comm ...
(1900–1947), Nazi, SS commandant of Auschwitz concentration camp, executed for war crimes
* Leopold Gutterer (1902–1996), Nazi state secretary in the Reich Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda
The Reich Ministry for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda (; RMVP), also known simply as the Ministry of Propaganda (), controlled the content of the press, literature, visual arts, film, theater, music and radio in Nazi Germany.
The ministry ...
* Felix Gilbert (1905–1991), German-American historian
* Fritz Suhren (1908–1950), SS Nazi concentration camp commandant executed for war crimes
* Kai Whittaker (born 1985), German CDU politician, member of the Bundestag
The Bundestag (, "Federal Diet") is the German federal parliament. It is the only federal representative body that is directly elected by the German people. It is comparable to the United States House of Representatives or the House of Common ...
since 2013
The arts
* Anna Zerr (1822–1881), German operatic soprano
* Eugene Armbruster (1865–1943), New York City photographer, illustrator, writer, and historian
* Paul Nikolaus Cossmann (1869–1942 in Theresienstadt
Theresienstadt Ghetto was established by the SS during World War II in the fortress town of Terezín, in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia ( German-occupied Czechoslovakia). Theresienstadt served as a waystation to the extermination ca ...
), German journalist
* Hermine Finck (1872–1932), opera singer
* Édouard Risler
Joseph-Édouard Risler (23 February 1873 – 22 July 1929) was a French pianist.
Biography
Risler was born in Baden-Baden (Germany) of a German mother and an Alsatian father. He studied under Louis Diémer, Théodore Dubois and Émile Decomb ...
(1873–1929), French pianist
* Reinhold Schneider
Reinhold Schneider (Baden-Baden, May 13, 1903 – Freiburg im Breisgau, April 6, 1958) was a German poet who also wrote novels. Initially his works were less religious, but later his poetry had a Christian and specifically Catholic influence ...
(1903–1958), writer
* Franz Zureich (1904–1992), painter
* Antoinette Bower (born 1932), British-American actress
* Tony Marshall (born 1938), pop and opera singer
* Heinz Bosl (1946–1975), German ballet dancer
* Elmar Hörig (born 1949), radio and television presenter
* Robert HP Platz (born 1951), composer and conductor
* Sabine von Maydell
Sabine von Maydell (born 9 October 1955, Baden-Baden, Germany) is a German television actress. From October 1984 to March 2014, she was married to actor Claude-Oliver Rudolph. She has a son and a daughter, Oona von Maydell, who is also an actres ...
(born 1955), actress and author
* Marc Trillard (born 1955), French writer
* Andreas Heinecke
Andreas Heinecke is a social entrepreneur and the creator of Dialogue in the Dark. He is the first Ashoka fellow for Western Europe and a Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship Global Fellow. He is the founder of Dialogue Social Enterpr ...
(born 1955), social entrepreneur
Social entrepreneurship is an approach by individuals, groups, start-up companies or entrepreneurs, in which they develop, fund and implement solutions to social, cultural, or environmental issues. This concept may be applied to a wide range of ...
and creator of Dialogue in the Dark
Dialogue in the Dark ("Dialog in the Dark" in American promotional materials) is an awareness raising exhibition and franchise, as well as a social business. In ''Dialogue in the Dark'', blind guides lead visitors in small groups through differ ...
* Jean-Marc Rochette (born 1956), French painter, illustrator and comics creator.
* Tobias A. Schliessler (born 1958), German cinematographer
* Ann-Marie MacDonald (born 1958), Canadian playwright, novelist, actress and broadcast host
* Stefan Anton Reck (born 1960), German orchestra conductor and painter
* Birgit Stauch (born 1961), German sculptor, works in bronzes, sculptures, sketches and portraits.
* Florian Ballhaus
Florian Marc Ballhaus (born 1965) is a German cinematographer. He is best known for his work on '' The Devil Wears Prada'', '' Marry Me'' and the movies directed by Robert Schwentke, such as '' Flightplan'', '' The Time Traveler's Wife'' and '' ...
(born 1965), German cinematographer
* Alexandra Kamp (born 1966), German model and actress, grew up in Baden-Baden.
Science
* Franz Carl Müller-Lyer (1857–1916), psychologist and sociologist, eponymn of the Müller-Lyer illusion
The Müller-Lyer illusion is an optical illusion consisting of three stylized arrows. When viewers are asked to place a mark on the figure at the midpoint, they tend to place it more towards the "tail" end. The illusion was devised by Franz Carl ...
* Joseph Vollmer
Joseph Vollmer (1871–1955) was a German automobile designer and engineer and a pioneering tank designer. As chief designer for the German War Department's motor vehicle section, he designed the World War I German tanks A7V, K-Wagen, LK I and LK ...
(1871–1955), automobile designer, engineer and pioneering tank designer
* Alfred Kühn (1885–1968), zoologist and geneticist
* Frederick Lindemann, 1st Viscount Cherwell
Frederick Alexander Lindemann, 1st Viscount Cherwell, ( ; 5 April 18863 July 1957) was a British physicist who was prime scientific adviser to Winston Churchill in World War II.
Lindemann was a brilliant intellectual, who cut through bureauc ...
(1886–1957), British physicist
* Erich Friedrich Schmidt (1897–1964), German and American-naturalized archaeologist
* Wolfgang Krull
Wolfgang Krull (26 August 1899 – 12 April 1971) was a German mathematician who made fundamental contributions to commutative algebra, introducing concepts that are now central to the subject.
Krull was born and went to school in Baden-Baden. H ...
(1899–1971), mathematician
Sport
* Marco Grimm (born 1972), football player, 334 pro appearances
* Frank Moser (born 1976), German professional tennis player
* Magdalena Schnurr (born 1992), German ski jumper
See also
* List of reduplicated place names
References
Bibliography
*
*
* .
Further reading
*
*
External links
*
{{Authority control
Karlsruhe (region)
Towns in Baden-Württemberg
Baden
Spa towns in Germany
Gambling in Germany
Burial sites of the House of Leiningen