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Wiesbaden (; ) is the capital of the German state of
Hesse Hesse or Hessen ( ), officially the State of Hesse (), is a States of Germany, state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt, which is also the country's principal financial centre. Two other major hist ...
, and the second-largest Hessian city after
Frankfurt am Main Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...
. With around 283,000 inhabitants, it is Germany's 24th-largest city. Wiesbaden forms a conurbation with a population of around 500,000 with the neighbouring city of
Mainz Mainz (; #Names and etymology, see below) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and with around 223,000 inhabitants, it is List of cities in Germany by population, Germany's 35th-largest city. It lies in ...
. This conurbation is in turn embedded in the Rhine-Main Metropolitan Region—Germany's second-largest metropolitan region after
Rhine-Ruhr The Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region () is the Metropolitan regions in Germany, largest metropolitan region in Germany, with over ten million inhabitants. A wikt:polycentric, polycentric conurbation with several major urban concentrations, the reg ...
—which also includes the nearby cities of
Frankfurt am Main Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...
,
Darmstadt Darmstadt () is a city in the States of Germany, state of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Frankfurt Rhine Main Area, Rhine-Main-Area (Frankfurt Metropolitan Region). Darmstadt has around 160,000 inhabitants, making it the ...
,
Offenbach am Main Offenbach am Main () is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in Hesse, Germany, on the left bank of the river Main (river), Main. It borders Frankfurt and is part of the Frankfurt urban area and the larger Frankfurt Rhein-Main Regional Aut ...
, and
Hanau Hanau () is a city in the Main-Kinzig-Kreis, in Hesse, Germany. It is 25 km east of Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main and part of the Frankfurt Rhine-Main, Frankfurt Rhine-Main Metropolitan Region. Its railway Hanau Hauptbahnhof, station is a ma ...
, and has a combined population exceeding 5.8 million. The city is located on the
Rhine The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...
(
Upper Rhine Upper Rhine ( ; ; kilometres 167 to 529 of the Rhine) is the section of the Rhine between the Middle Bridge, Basel, Middle Bridge in Basel, Switzerland, and the Rhine knee in Bingen am Rhein, Bingen, Germany. It is surrounded by the Upper Rhine P ...
), at the foothills of the
Taunus The Taunus () is a mountain range in Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, located north west of Frankfurt and north of Wiesbaden. The tallest peak in the range is '' Großer Feldberg'' at 878 m; other notable peaks are '' Kleiner Feldberg' ...
, opposite the Rhineland-Palatine capital of
Mainz Mainz (; #Names and etymology, see below) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and with around 223,000 inhabitants, it is List of cities in Germany by population, Germany's 35th-largest city. It lies in ...
, and the city centre is located in the wide valley of the small Salzbach stream. Wiesbaden lies in the Rheingau wine-growing region, one of Germany's 13 wine regions. Three of Wiesbaden's boroughs were part of the city of
Mainz Mainz (; #Names and etymology, see below) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and with around 223,000 inhabitants, it is List of cities in Germany by population, Germany's 35th-largest city. It lies in ...
until 1945, and still bear the designation "Mainz" in their names—the so-called AKK-boroughs of Mainz-Amöneburg,
Mainz-Kastel Mainz-Kastel () is a district of the city Wiesbaden, which is the capital of the German state Hesse in western Germany. Kastel is the historical bridgehead of Mainz, the capital of the German state Rhineland-Palatinate and is located on the right ...
, and Mainz-Kostheim. This so-called AKK-Konflikt ( :de:AKK-Konflikt) is the main cause for the rivalry between Mainz and Wiesbaden. Wiesbaden Main Station is connected to
Frankfurt am Main Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...
by the
Rhine-Main S-Bahn The Rhine-Main S-Bahn system is an integrated rapid transit and commuter rail, commuter train system for the Frankfurt/Rhine-Main region, which includes the cities Frankfurt am Main, Wiesbaden, Mainz, Offenbach am Main, Hanau and Darmstadt. The ...
rapid transit system. Historically, Wiesbaden was a Nassauian city. From 1170 to 1629, it lay in the
County of Nassau The County of Nassau was a German state within the Holy Roman Empire from the period of the formal recognition of the countly title in 1159 (though "de facto" sovereignty began in 1125) until the declaration of the Duchy of Nassau in 1806 with ...
, and from 1629 to 1721, it was in the county and later principality of Nassau-Idstein, all of which were territories within the
Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...
ruled by branches of the
House of Nassau The House of Nassau is the name of a European aristocratic dynasty. The name originated with a lordship associated with Nassau Castle, which is located in what is now Nassau, Rhineland-Palatinate, Nassau in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. With t ...
. In 1728, the city found itself in the principality of Nassau-Usingen, and in 1744,
Biebrich Palace Biebrich Palace () is a Baroque residence (''Schloss'') in the borough of Biebrich in the city of Wiesbaden, Hesse, Germany. Built in 1702 by Prince Georg August Samuel of Nassau-Idstein, it served as the ducal residence for the independent Du ...
became the main residence of the House of Nassau-Usingen. In 1806, the city became the capital of the
Duchy of Nassau The Duchy of Nassau (German language, German: ''Herzogtum Nassau'') was an independent state between 1806 and 1866, located in what became the Germany, German states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse. It was a States of the Confederation of th ...
. Since 1841, the newly built
Wiesbaden City Palace Wiesbaden City Palace ( or ''Wiesbadener Stadtschloss'') is a neo-classical building in the center of Wiesbaden, Germany. It was completed in 1841 as the principal city residence of the Dukes of Nassau. The palace has several wings, 145 rooms, a ...
was the principal Nassauian residence. From 1868 to 1944, the city lay in the
Prussian Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, the House of Hohenzoll ...
Province of Hesse-Nassau The Province of Hesse-Nassau () was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1868 to 1918, then a province of the Free State of Prussia until 1944. Hesse-Nassau was created as a consequence of the Austro-Prussian War of 1866 by combining the ...
, and from 1944 to 1945, it was the capital of the
Province of Nassau The Province of Nassau () was a province of Prussia from 1944 to 1945. Although all German states (including Prussia) had been ''de facto'' dissolved since 1933, the Nazi government formally partitioned the Prussian province of Hesse-Nassau in ...
. In 1945, it became the capital of
Greater Hesse Greater Hesse () was the provisional name given for a section of German territory created by the United States military administration in at the end of World War II. It was formed by the Allied Control Council on 19 September 1945 and became the ...
and subsequently, in 1946, of
Hesse Hesse or Hessen ( ), officially the State of Hesse (), is a States of Germany, state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt, which is also the country's principal financial centre. Two other major hist ...
. Wiesbaden is one of the oldest
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, Somerset, Ba ...
s in Europe. Its name translates to "meadow baths", and there are 15
mineral springs Mineral springs are naturally occurring springs that produce hard water, water that contains dissolved minerals. Salts, sulfur compounds, and gases are among the substances that can be dissolved in the spring water during its passage underg ...
—14 of which are
hot springs A hot spring, hydrothermal spring, or geothermal spring is a Spring (hydrology), spring produced by the emergence of Geothermal activity, geothermally heated groundwater onto the surface of the Earth. The groundwater is heated either by shallow ...
—in the city centre. With a yield of around 2 million liters daily, Wiesbaden is the second-most productive German spa after
Aachen Aachen is the List of cities in North Rhine-Westphalia by population, 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, 27th-largest city of Germany, with around 261,000 inhabitants. Aachen is locat ...
. Its location in a mountain basin at the southern foot of the
Taunus The Taunus () is a mountain range in Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, located north west of Frankfurt and north of Wiesbaden. The tallest peak in the range is '' Großer Feldberg'' at 878 m; other notable peaks are '' Kleiner Feldberg' ...
, protected by the mountains in the north and west, gives Wiesbaden a mild climate. It has been called the "
Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one millionUnited States Army Europe and Africa United States Army Europe and Africa (USAREUR-AF) is an Army Service Component Command (ASCC) /Theater Army responsible for directing United States Army operations throughout the U.S. European Command (EUCOM) and U.S. Africa Command (AFRICO ...
headquarters are located in Wiesbaden-Erbenheim.


Geography

Wiesbaden is situated on the right (northern) bank of the
Rhine The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...
, above the confluence of the
Main Main may refer to: Geography *Main River (disambiguation), multiple rivers with the same name *Ma'in, an ancient kingdom in modern-day Yemen * Main, Iran, a village in Fars Province *Spanish Main, the Caribbean coasts of mainland Spanish territ ...
, where the Rhine's main direction changes from north to west. The city is across the Rhine from Mainz, the capital of the state of
Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; ; ; ) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the sixteen states. Mainz is the capital and largest city. Other cities are ...
. Frankfurt am Main is located about east. To the north of the city are the
Taunus The Taunus () is a mountain range in Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, located north west of Frankfurt and north of Wiesbaden. The tallest peak in the range is '' Großer Feldberg'' at 878 m; other notable peaks are '' Kleiner Feldberg' ...
Mountains, which trend in a northeasterly direction. The city center, the ''Stadtmitte'', is located in the north-easternmost part of the Upper Rhine Valley at the spurs of the Taunus mountains, about from the Rhine. The landscape is formed by a wide lowland between the Taunus heights in the north, the Bierstadter Höhe and the Hainerberg in the east, the Mosbacher Mountain in the south, and the Schiersteiner Mountain in the west, an offshoot of the Taunus range. The downtown is drained only by the narrow valley of the Salzbach, a tributary of the Rhine, on the eastern flanks of the Mosbacher Mountain. The city's main railway line and the Mainz road (''Mainzer Straße'') follow this valley. Several other streams drain into the Salzbach within the city center: the Wellritzbach, the Kesselbach, the Schwarzbach, the Dambach, and the Tennelbach, as well as the outflow of many thermal and mineral springs in the ''Kurhaus'' (spa) district. Above the city center, the Salzbach is better known as the Rambach. The highest point of the Wiesbaden municipality is located northwest of the city center near the summit of the Hohe Wurzel, with an elevation of
above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of a location's vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) in reference to a vertical datum based on a historic mean sea level. In geodesy, it is formalized as orthometric height. The zero level ...
. The lowest point is the harbour entrance of Schierstein at above sea level. The central square (the ''Schlossplatz'', or palace square) is at an elevation of . Wiesbaden covers an area of . It is from north to south and from west to east. In the north are vast forest areas, which cover 27.4% of the urban area. In the west and east are
vineyards A vineyard ( , ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines. Many vineyards exist for winemaking; others for the production of raisins, table grapes, and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is kno ...
and agricultural land, which cover 31.1% of the area. Of the municipality's -long border, the Rhine makes up .


Climate

Wiesbaden has a
temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (approximately 23.5° to 66.5° N/S of the Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ran ...
-
oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen climate classification, Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of co ...
(
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...
: ''Cfb''; Trewartha: ''Dobk'') with relatively cold winters and warm summers. Its average annual temperature is , with monthly mean temperatures ranging from in January to in July. The Wiesbaden weather station has recorded the following extreme values: * Highest Temperature on 25 July 2019. * Lowest Temperature on 19 December 2009. * Wettest Year in 1965. * Driest Year in 1976. * Highest Daily Precipitation: on 7 October 1982. * Earliest Snowfall: 5 November 1966. * Latest Snowfall: 15 April 2001.


History


Classical antiquity

While evidence of settlement at present-day Wiesbaden dates back to the
Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...
era, historical records document continuous occupancy after the erection of a
Roman 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 Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...
fort in 6 AD which housed an auxiliary cavalry unit. The
thermal springs A hot spring, hydrothermal spring, or geothermal spring is a spring produced by the emergence of geothermally heated groundwater onto the surface of the Earth. The groundwater is heated either by shallow bodies of magma (molten rock) or by cir ...
of Wiesbaden are first mentioned in
Pliny the Elder Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/24 79), known in English as Pliny the Elder ( ), was a Roman Empire, Roman author, Natural history, naturalist, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the Roman emperor, emperor Vesp ...
's ''
Naturalis Historia The ''Natural History'' () is a Latin work by Pliny the Elder. The largest single work to have survived from the Roman Empire to the modern day, the ''Natural History'' compiles information gleaned from other ancient authors. Despite the work' ...
''. They were famous for their recreation pools for Roman army horses and possibly as the source of a mineral used for red hair dye (which was very fashionable around the turn of BC/AD among women in Rome). The Roman settlement is first mentioned using the name ''Aquae Mattiacorum'' (
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
for "Waters of the Mattiaci") in 121. The Mattiaci were a Germanic tribe, possibly a branch of the neighboring
Chatti The Chatti (also Chatthi or Catti) were an ancient Germanic tribe whose homeland was near the upper Weser (''Visurgis'') river. They lived in central and northern Hesse and southern Lower Saxony, along the upper reaches of that river and in ...
, who lived in the vicinity at that time. The town also appears as Mattiacum in
Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; , ; ; – 160s/170s AD) was a Greco-Roman mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were important to later Byzantine science, Byzant ...
's
Geographia The ''Geography'' (, ,  "Geographical Guidance"), also known by its Latin names as the ' and the ', is a gazetteer, an atlas, and a treatise on cartography, compiling the geographical knowledge of the 2nd-century Roman Empire. Originally wri ...
(2.10). The Roman Empire built the
Limes Germanicus The (Latin for ''Germanic frontier''), or 'Germanic Limes', is the name given in modern times to a line of frontier () fortifications that bounded the ancient Roman provinces of Germania Inferior, Germania Superior and Raetia, dividing the Roman ...
, which was a line of Roman frontier fortifications in the
Taunus The Taunus () is a mountain range in Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, located north west of Frankfurt and north of Wiesbaden. The tallest peak in the range is '' Großer Feldberg'' at 878 m; other notable peaks are '' Kleiner Feldberg' ...
. Wiesbaden is just south of the Taunus. The capital of the province of
Germania Superior Germania Superior ("Upper Germania") was an imperial province of the Roman Empire. It comprised an area of today's western Switzerland, the French Jura and Alsace regions, and southwestern Germany. Important cities were Besançon ('' Vesont ...
, Mogontiacum (present-day
Mainz Mainz (; #Names and etymology, see below) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and with around 223,000 inhabitants, it is List of cities in Germany by population, Germany's 35th-largest city. It lies in ...
), base of 2 (at times 3) Roman legions, was just over the Rhine and connected by a bridge at the present-day borough of
Mainz-Kastel Mainz-Kastel () is a district of the city Wiesbaden, which is the capital of the German state Hesse in western Germany. Kastel is the historical bridgehead of Mainz, the capital of the German state Rhineland-Palatinate and is located on the right ...
(Roman "''castellum''"), a strongly fortified bridgehead. The
Alamanni The Alemanni or Alamanni were a confederation of Germanic tribes * * * on the Upper Rhine River during the first millennium. First mentioned by Cassius Dio in the context of the campaign of Roman emperor Caracalla of 213 CE, the Alemanni c ...
, a coalition of Germanic tribes from beyond the ''Limes'', captured the fort around 260. Later, in the 370s, when the Romans and Alamanni were allied, the Alemanni gained control of the Wiesbaden area and were in charge of its defense against other Germanic tribes.


Middle Ages

After the
Franks file:Frankish arms.JPG, Aristocratic Frankish burial items from the Merovingian dynasty The Franks ( or ; ; ) were originally a group of Germanic peoples who lived near the Rhine river, Rhine-river military border of Germania Inferior, which wa ...
under
Clovis I Clovis (; reconstructed Old Frankish, Frankish: ; – 27 November 511) was the first List of Frankish kings, king of the Franks to unite all of the Franks under one ruler, changing the form of leadership from a group of petty kings to rule by a ...
defeated the Alamanni in the
Battle of Tolbiac The Battle of Tolbiac was fought between the Franks, who were fighting under Clovis I, and the Alamanni, whose leader is not known. The date of the battle has traditionally been given as 496, though other accounts suggest it may either have been ...
in 496, the Franks eventually displaced the Alamanni in the Wiesbaden area over the course of the 6th century. In the 8th century, Wiesbaden became the site of a royal
palace A palace is a large residence, often serving as a royal residence or the home for a head of state or another high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome whi ...
of the Frankish kingdom. The first documented use of the name Wiesbaden is by
Einhard Einhard (also Eginhard or Einhart; ; 775 – 14 March 840) was a Franks, Frankish scholar and courtier. Einhard was a dedicated servant of Charlemagne and his son Louis the Pious; his main work is a biography of Charlemagne, the ''Vita Karoli M ...
, the biographer of
Charlemagne Charlemagne ( ; 2 April 748 – 28 January 814) was List of Frankish kings, King of the Franks from 768, List of kings of the Lombards, King of the Lombards from 774, and Holy Roman Emperor, Emperor of what is now known as the Carolingian ...
, whose writings mention "Wisabada" sometime between 828 and 830. When the Frankish
Carolingian Empire The Carolingian Empire (800–887) was a Franks, Frankish-dominated empire in Western and Central Europe during the Early Middle Ages. It was ruled by the Carolingian dynasty, which had ruled as List of Frankish kings, kings of the Franks since ...
broke up in 888, Wiesbaden was in the eastern half, called
East Francia East Francia (Latin: ) or the Kingdom of the East Franks () was a successor state of Charlemagne's empire created in 843 and ruled by the Carolingian dynasty until 911. It was established through the Treaty of Verdun (843) which divided the for ...
(which would evolve into the
Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...
). The town was part of
Franconia Franconia ( ; ; ) is a geographical region of Germany, characterised by its culture and East Franconian dialect (). Franconia is made up of the three (governmental districts) of Lower Franconia, Lower, Middle Franconia, Middle and Upper Franco ...
, the heartland of East Francia. In the 1170s, the
Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...
of Nassau, Walram I, received the area around Wiesbaden as a
fiefdom A fief (; ) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of feudal alle ...
. When Franconia fragmented in the early 13th century, Nassau emerged as an independent state as part of the Holy Roman Empire. In 1232 Wiesbaden became a Reichsstadt, an imperial city, of the Holy Roman Empire. However, in 1242, during the war of Emperor Frederick II against the Pope, the
Archbishop of Mainz The Elector of Mainz was one of the seven Prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire. As both the Archbishop of Mainz and the ruling prince of the Electorate of Mainz, the Elector of Mainz held a powerful position during the Middle Ages. The Archb ...
, Siegfried III, ordered the city's destruction. Wiesbaden returned to the control of the
House of Nassau The House of Nassau is the name of a European aristocratic dynasty. The name originated with a lordship associated with Nassau Castle, which is located in what is now Nassau, Rhineland-Palatinate, Nassau in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. With t ...
in 1270 under Count Walram II, Count of Nassau. However, Wiesbaden and the castle at
Sonnenberg Sonnenberg is a municipality in the Oberhavel district, in Brandenburg, Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alp ...
were again destroyed in 1283 in conflict with
Eppstein Eppstein is a town in the Main-Taunus-Kreis, in Hesse, Germany. Eppstein lies west of Frankfurt am Main, around 12 km north east of the state capital Wiesbaden, and is at the edge of the Taunus mountains. The ruins of the Eppstein castle is ...
. Walram's son and successor
Adolf Adolf (also spelt Adolph or Adolphe, Adolfo, and when Latinised Adolphus) is a given name with German origins. The name is a compound derived from the Old High German ''Athalwolf'' (or ''Hadulf''), a composition of ''athal'', or ''adal'', mean ...
would later become king of
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
from 1292 until 1298. In 1329, under Adolf's son Gerlach I of Nassau-Weilburg the House of Nassau and thereby, Wiesbaden, received the right of
coinage Coinage may refer to: * Coins, standardized as currency * Coining (mint), the process of manufacturing coins * '' COINage'', a numismatics magazine * Tin coinage, a tax on refined tin * Coinage, a protologism or neologism In linguistics, a neolo ...
from Holy Roman Emperor
Louis the Bavarian Louis IV (; 1 April 1282 – 11 October 1347), called the Bavarian (, ), was King of the Romans from 1314, King of Italy from 1327, and Holy Roman Emperor from 1328 until his death in 1347. Louis' election as king of Germany in 1314 was cont ...
. In 1355, the County of Nassau-Weilburg was divided among the sons of Gerlach. The County of Nassau's holdings would be subdivided many times among heirs, with the parts being brought together again whenever a line died out. Wiesbaden became the seat of the County of Nassau-Wiesbaden under Count Adolf I (1307–1370), eldest son of Gerlach. It would eventually fall back to Nassau-Weilburg in 1605.


Modern era

Due to its participation in the uprisings of the
German Peasants' War The German Peasants' War, Great Peasants' War or Great Peasants' Revolt () was a widespread popular revolt in some German-speaking areas in Central Europe from 1524 to 1525. It was Europe's largest and most widespread popular uprising befor ...
of 1525, Wiesbaden lost all its privileges for over 40 years. During this time, Wiesbaden became
Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
with the nomination of Wolf Denthener as first
Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...
pastor on 1 January 1543. The same day, the first Latin school was opened, preparing pupils for the gymnasium in
Idstein Idstein () is a town of about 25,000 inhabitants in the Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis in the ''Regierungsbezirk'' of Darmstadt (region), Darmstadt in Hesse, Germany. Because of its well preserved historical Altstadt (Old Town) it is part of the ''Deutsch ...
. In 1566, the privileges of the city were restored. The oldest remaining building of Wiesbaden, the old city hall, was built in 1609 and 1610. No older buildings are preserved due to two fires in 1547 and 1561. In 1648, at the end of the devastating
Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...
, chronicles tell that Wiesbaden had barely 40 residents left. In 1659, the County of Nassau-Weilburg was divided again. Wiesbaden became part of the County of Nassau-Usingen. In 1744, the seat of Nassau-Usingen was moved to Biebrich. In 1771, the Count of Nassau-Usingen granted a concession for gambling in Wiesbaden. In 1810, the Wiesbaden Casino (German: ''Spielbank'') was opened in the old Kurhaus. Gambling was later outlawed by
Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...
n authorities in 1872. As a result of
Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
's victory over Austria in the
Battle of Austerlitz The Battle of Austerlitz (2 December 1805/11 Frimaire An XIV French Republican calendar, FRC), also known as the Battle of the Three Emperors, was one of the most important military engagements of the Napoleonic Wars. The battle occurred near t ...
, the Holy Roman Empire was dissolved in 1805. On 12 July 1806, 16 states in present-day Germany, including the remaining counties of Nassau-Usingen and Nassau-Weilburg, formally left the Holy Roman Empire and joined in the
Confederation of the Rhine The Confederated States of the Rhine, simply known as the Confederation of the Rhine or Rhine Confederation, was a confederation of German client states established at the behest of Napoleon some months after he defeated Austrian Empire, Austria ...
. Napoleon was its "protector". Under pressure from Napoleon, both counties merged to form the
Duchy of Nassau The Duchy of Nassau (German language, German: ''Herzogtum Nassau'') was an independent state between 1806 and 1866, located in what became the Germany, German states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse. It was a States of the Confederation of th ...
on 30 August 1806. At the 1815
Congress of Vienna The Congress of Vienna of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon, Napol ...
, the Duchy of Nassau joined the
German Confederation The German Confederation ( ) was an association of 39 predominantly German-speaking sovereign states in Central Europe. It was created by the Congress of Vienna in 1815 as a replacement of the former Holy Roman Empire, which had been dissolved ...
. The capital of Nassau was moved from Weilburg to Wiesbaden, and the city became the ducal residence. Building activity started to give the city a magnificent appearance. Most of the historical center of Wiesbaden dates back to this time. In the
Revolutions of 1848 The revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the springtime of the peoples or the springtime of nations, were a series of revolutions throughout Europe over the course of more than one year, from 1848 to 1849. It remains the most widespre ...
, 30,000 citizens of Nassau assembled in Wiesbaden on 4 March. They demanded a constitution from the Duke, which they received. In the
Austro-Prussian War The Austro-Prussian War (German: ''Preußisch-Österreichischer Krieg''), also known by many other names,Seven Weeks' War, German Civil War, Second War of Unification, Brothers War or Fraternal War, known in Germany as ("German War"), ''Deutsc ...
of 1866, Nassau took Austria's side. This decision led to the end of the duchy. After the Austrian defeat, Nassau was annexed by
Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...
and became part of the Prussian
province of Hesse-Nassau The Province of Hesse-Nassau () was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1868 to 1918, then a province of the Free State of Prussia until 1944. Hesse-Nassau was created as a consequence of the Austro-Prussian War of 1866 by combining the ...
. The deposed duke Adolph of Nassau in 1890 became the
Grand Duke of Luxembourg The Grand Duke of Luxembourg is the head of state of Luxembourg. Luxembourg has been a grand duchy since 15 March 1815, when it was created from territory of the former Duchy of Luxembourg. It was in personal union with the United Kingdom of ...
(see
House of Nassau The House of Nassau is the name of a European aristocratic dynasty. The name originated with a lordship associated with Nassau Castle, which is located in what is now Nassau, Rhineland-Palatinate, Nassau in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. With t ...
). This turned out to be a fortunate change for the city, as it then became an international spa town. A rise in construction commenced after the aristocracy followed the lead of the Hohenzollern emperors, who began annual trips to Wiesbaden. The period around the turn of the 20th century is regarded as the heyday of the city.
Kaiser Wilhelm II Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor and King of Prussia from 1888 until his abdication in 1918, which marked the end of the German Empire as well as the Hohenzollern dynasty ...
visited the city regularly in summer, such that it became an unofficial "summer residence". The city was also popular among the Russian nobility. In the wake of the imperial court, numerous nobles, artists, and wealthy businessmen increasingly settled in the city. Many wealthy persons chose Wiesbaden as their retirement seat, as it offered leisure and medical treatment alike. In the latter part of the 19th century, Wiesbaden became the German city with the most millionaires. In 1894, the present Hessian State Theater, designed by the Vienna architects Fellner and Helmer, was built on behalf of Kaiser Wilhelm II.


Weimar Republic and Third Reich (1919 to 1945)

After World War I, Wiesbaden fell under the Allied occupation of the Rhineland and was occupied by the French army in 1918. In 1921, the Wiesbaden Agreement on German reparations to France was signed in the city. In 1925, Wiesbaden became the headquarters of the
British Army of the Rhine British Army of the Rhine (BAOR) was the name given to British Army occupation forces in the Rhineland, West Germany, after the First and Second World Wars, and during the Cold War, becoming part of NATO's Northern Army Group (NORTHAG) tasked ...
until the withdrawal of occupying forces from the Rhineland in 1930. In 1929, an airport was constructed in Erbenheim on the site of a horse-racing track. In 1936, Fighter Squadron 53 of the
Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...
was stationed here. In the
Kristallnacht ( ) or the Night of Broken Glass, also called the November pogrom(s) (, ), was a pogrom against Jews carried out by the Nazi Party's (SA) and (SS) paramilitary forces along with some participation from the Hitler Youth and German civilia ...
pogrom on 10 November 1938, Wiesbaden's large synagogue on Michelsberg was destroyed. The synagogue had been designed by Phillip Hoffmann and built in 1869. Another synagogue in Wiesbaden-Bierstadt was also destroyed. When the Nazis came to power in Germany, there were 2,700 Jews living in Wiesbaden. By June 1942 nearly all of them had been deported to the
extermination camps Nazi Germany used six extermination camps (), also called death camps (), or killing centers (), in Central Europe, primarily in occupied Poland, during World War II to systematically murder over 2.7 million peoplemostly Jewsin the Holocau ...
in German-occupied Poland. General
Ludwig Beck Ludwig August Theodor Beck (; 29 June 1880 – 20 July 1944) was a German general who served as Chief of the German General Staff from 1933 to 1938. Beck was one of the main conspirators of the 20 July plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler. ...
from Wiesbaden was one of the planners of the 20 July 1944 assassination attempt of
Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
. Beck was designated by his fellow conspirators to be future Head of State (Regent) after elimination of Hitler. The plot failed, however, and Beck was forced to commit suicide. Today, the city annually awards the Ludwig Beck prize for civil courage in his honor. Lutheran pastor and theologian
Martin Niemöller Friedrich Gustav Emil Martin Niemöller (; 14 January 1892 – 6 March 1984) was a German theologian and Lutheran pastor. He opposed the Nazi regime during the late 1930s, and was sent to a concentration camp for his affiliation with the Confes ...
, founder of the Confessing Church resistance movement against the Nazis, is an Honorary Citizen of Wiesbaden. He presented his last sermon before his arrest in Wiesbaden's Market Church.


World War II

In World War II, Wiesbaden was the headquarters for Germany's Wehrkreis XII. This military district included the Eifel, part of
Hesse Hesse or Hessen ( ), officially the State of Hesse (), is a States of Germany, state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt, which is also the country's principal financial centre. Two other major hist ...
, the Palatinate (region), Palatinate, and the Saarland. After the Battle of France, this ''Wehrkreis'' was extended to include Lorraine (region), Lorraine, including Nancy, France, Nancy, and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. The commander was ''General der Infanterie'' Walther Schroth. ''Wehrkreis'' XII was made up of three subordinate regions: ''Bereich Hauptsitze'' Koblenz, Mannheim and Metz. *''Bereich Hauptsitz'' Koblenz was the headquarters for 12 ''Unterregion-Hauptsitze'', namely Trier I, Trier II, Koblenz, Neuwied, Kreuznach, Wiesbaden, Limburg an der Lahn, Lahn,
Mainz Mainz (; #Names and etymology, see below) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and with around 223,000 inhabitants, it is List of cities in Germany by population, Germany's 35th-largest city. It lies in ...
, Worms, Germany, Worms,
Darmstadt Darmstadt () is a city in the States of Germany, state of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Frankfurt Rhine Main Area, Rhine-Main-Area (Frankfurt Metropolitan Region). Darmstadt has around 160,000 inhabitants, making it the ...
, and Luxembourg. *''Bereich Hauptsitz'' Mannheim was the headquarters for 10 ''Unterregion-Hauptsitze'', namely Saarlautern, Saarbrücken, St. Wendel, Zweibrücken, Kaiserslautern, Neustadt an der Weinstraße, Ludwigshafen (Rhein), Mannheim I, Mannheim II, and Heidelberg. *''Bereich Hauptsitz'' Metz was the headquarters for ''Unterregion-Hauptsitze'' Metz, Diedenhofen (Thionville), and Saint-Avold. During the war, Wiesbaden was, between August 1940 and the end of 1942, bombed by the Royal Air Force and from 1943 through to March 1945, was attacked by both RAF and United States Air Force bombers on 66 days. In the attacks, about 18% of the city's homes were destroyed. During the war, more than 25% of the city's buildings were damaged or worse and 1,700 people were killed. Wiesbaden was the location of a camp for Sinti and Romani people (see ''Romani Holocaust''), and two subcamps of the Hinzert concentration camp, mostly for Luxembourgish prisoners. Wiesbaden was captured by U.S. Army forces on 28 March 1945. The U.S. 317th Infantry Regiment attacked in assault boats across the Rhine from Mainz while the 319th Infantry attacked across the river Main near Hochheim am Main. The attack started at 01:00 and by early afternoon the two forces of the 80th Division (United States), 80th U.S. Infantry Division had linked up with the loss of only three dead and three missing. The Americans captured 900 German soldiers and a warehouse full of 4,000 cases of champagne. After the war's end, American rock artist Elvis Presley was stationed in Friedberg and often visited Wiesbaden.


Cold War and contemporary history

After World War II, the state of Hesse was established (see
Greater Hesse Greater Hesse () was the provisional name given for a section of German territory created by the United States military administration in at the end of World War II. It was formed by the Allied Control Council on 19 September 1945 and became the ...
), and Wiesbaden became its capital, though nearby Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main is much larger and works as Hesse's economic and financial centre. Wiesbaden however suffered much less than Frankfurt from air bombing. There is a persistent rumour that the U.S. Army Air Force spared the town with the intention of turning it into a postwar HQ, but USAAF sources claim this to be a myth, arguing that Wiesbaden's economic and strategic importance simply did not justify more bombing. Wiesbaden was host to the Headquarters, U.S. Air Forces, Europe based at the former Europaviertel (Wiesbaden), Lindsey Air Station from 1953 to 1973. American armed forces have been present in Wiesbaden since World War II. The U.S. 1st Armored Division was headquartered at the Wiesbaden Army Airfield, just off the autobahn toward Frankfurt, until the Division completed relocation to Fort Bliss, Texas, in 2011. Wiesbaden is now home to the U.S. Army Europe Headquarters and the General John Shalikashvili Mission Command Center. In 1962, the American artists George Maciunas, Dick Higgins and Alison Knowles traveled to Europe to promote a planned "Fluxus" publication with concerts of antique musical instruments, the “Fluxus Internationale Festspiele Neuester Music” (Fluxus International Festival of Newest Music) at the Museum Wiesbaden. Fourteen concerts were performed on four weekends between 1 and 23 September which marked the beginning of the Fluxus movement. Work by musicians such as John Cage, György Ligeti, Krzysztof Penderecki, Terry Riley, Brion Gysin and others were performed alongside new performance pieces written by Higgins, Knowles, George Brecht, Nam June Paik, Ben Patterson, Robert Filliou, Emmett Williams, and others. One performance in particular, "Piano Activities" by Philip Corner, became notorious by challenging the important status of the piano in post-war German homes.


Bathing and gambling

Wiesbaden has long been famous for its thermal springs and spa. Use of the thermal springs was first documented by the Romans. The business of spring bathing became important for Wiesbaden near the end of the Middle Ages. By 1370, 16 bath houses were in operation. By 1800, the city had 2,239 inhabitants and 23 bath houses. By 1900, Wiesbaden, with a population of 86,100, hosted 126,000 visitors annually. Famous visitors to the springs included Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Richard Wagner, Johannes Brahms, and Henrik Pontoppidan. In those years, more millionaires were living in Wiesbaden than in any other city in Germany. Gambling followed bathing ''en suite'', and in the 19th century, Wiesbaden was famous for both. Its casino (''Spielbank'') rivalled those of Bad Homburg, Baden-Baden, and Monaco. In 1872, the Prussian-dominated imperial government closed down all German gambling houses. The Wiesbaden casino was reopened in 1949.


Main sights


The Palace Square

The ''Schloßplatz (Wiesbaden), Schloßplatz'' ("palace square") is situated in the center of the city, surrounded by several outstanding buildings. The Stadtschloss, Wiesbaden, ducal palace was begun under William, Duke of Nassau. Its foundations were laid in 1837 and it was completed in November 1841 (two years after William's death). For the twenty-six remaining years of ducal authority it was the residence of the ruling family. It later served as a secondary residence for the King of Kingdom of Prussia, Prussia 1866 to 1918. It was later used as a headquarters for French and British occupying forces after World War I, then as a museum. Since 1945, the building has served as Hessian Landtag, Landtag (parliamentary building) for the state of Hesse. The site of the palace had been that of a castle, probably from the early Middle Ages, around which the city had developed. While nothing is known of the former castle, remains of it were uncovered during excavations after World War II. The new town hall was built in 1887. A tile mosaic in front of the town hall shows the heraldic beast, heraldic eagle of the Kingdom of Prussia (of which Wiesbaden was a part at the time), the coat of arms of the Prussian
Province of Hesse-Nassau The Province of Hesse-Nassau () was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1868 to 1918, then a province of the Free State of Prussia until 1944. Hesse-Nassau was created as a consequence of the Austro-Prussian War of 1866 by combining the ...
, and the fleur-de-lis of Wiesbaden. The old town hall, built in 1610, is the oldest preserved building in the city center and now is used as a civil registry office. The
Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
''Marktkirche, Wiesbaden, Marktkirche'' ("market church") was built from 1852 to 1862 in a Gothic Revival architecture, neo-Gothic style. Its western steeple is in height, making the church the highest building in the city.


Kurhaus and Theater

The monumental Neoclassical architecture, Neo-Classical ''Kurhaus, Wiesbaden, Kurhaus'' ("spa house") was built at the request of Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, Wilhelm II between 1904 and 1907. Its famous ''Spielbank'' (casino) is again in operation. In front of the Kurhaus is a lawn known as the Bowling Green. To one side of the Bowling Green is the Kurhaus Kolonnade. Built in 1827, the 129 meter structure is the longest hall in Europe supported by pillars. To the other side is the Theater Kolonnade, built in 1839. It is adjacent to the Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden, built between 1892 and 1894.


St. Bonifatius

St. Bonifatius, Wiesbaden, St. Bonifatius, the first church for the Catholic community after the Protestant Reformation, Reformation, was built from 1845 until 1849 by Philipp Hoffmann in Gothic Revival architecture, Gothic Revival style and dedicated to Saint Boniface.


St. Elizabeth's Church

The Russian Orthodox St. Elizabeth's Church, Wiesbaden, Church of Saint Elizabeth, called ''Griechische Kapelle'' (Greek chapel) locally, was built on the Neroberg from 1847 to 1855 by Duke Adolf of Nassau on the occasion of the early death of his wife Elizabeth Mikhailovna, who died in childbirth. The architect was again Philipp Hoffmann.


Other sights

Another building from the regency of Duke Wilhelm is the Luisenplatz, a square named for the Duke's first wife. It is surrounded by Neoclassicism, Neoclassicist buildings, and in the middle of the square is the Waterloo Battle, Waterloo Obelisk, commemorating the 683 Nassauers who died on 18 June 1815 near Hougoumont Farm in the respective battle against Napoleon I of France, Napoleon. Apart from the palace in the center, the ducal family had a large palace on the banks of the Rhine, known as Schloss Biebrich. This baroque architecture, baroque building was erected in the first half of the 18th century. North of the city is the Neroberg. From the top of this hill it is possible to view a panorama of the city. The Nerobergbahn funicular, funicular railway connects the city with the hill. South of it, the Nerotalanlagen are a park along a creek, created in 1897/98 as an English landscape garden. One of the three Hessian state museums, Museum Wiesbaden is located in Wiesbaden. Other churches are the Bergkirche, Wiesbaden, Bergkirche, completed in 1879 in Gothic Revival style, and the Lutherkirche, Wiesbaden, Lutherkirche, finished in 1910 in Jugendstil. The church Mariä Heimsuchung, Wiesbaden, Mariä Heimsuchung is a tall concrete landmark in the Kohlheck suburb. Oriental Christianity is also represented with the St. Isaiah Syriac Orthodox Church on the Willi-Juppe-Straße in Dotzheim, built in 2016 by Assyrian people, Assyrians. The Warmer Damm park is a 4.5-hectare park on the east side of Wilhelmstrasse and south of the State theater and Kurhaus which features a lake, a fountain, various statues, and large grassy areas. The park was created in 1859–1860 and is named after the medieval fortifications around a pond into which the warm waters of the town's 26 warm springs flowed.


Gallery

Wiesbaden-biebrich-schloss.jpg, Biebrich Palace Hessischer Landtag Stadtschloss Wiesbaden.jpg, City Palace Wiesbaden Nerobergbahn 2010-05-01 17.08.21.jpg, Nerobergbahn funicular Russ Orth Kirche Wiesbaden 865-h.jpg, ''Griechische Kapelle'' Nerotalanlagen, south.jpg, Nerotalanlagen Wiesbad1.jpg, Marktkirche Marktkirche seen from the Warmer Damm, Wiesbaden, Germany.JPG, Warmer Damm Warmer Damm Pond and Fountain.JPG, Warmer Damm St. Bonifatius Church, Wiesbaden, Germany.jpg, St. Bonifatius


Boroughs of Wiesbaden

The city of Wiesbaden is divided into 26 boroughs: five in the central city and 21 suburban districts. The 21 suburban districts were incorporated in four phases from 1926 to 1977. The former Mainz suburbs on the right bank of river Rhine viz. Amöneburg, Kastel and Kostheim have belonged to Wiesbaden since 1945.


Inner boroughs


Suburban boroughs


Population

Wiesbaden has a population of about 280,000. In 1946, when Wiesbaden became the capital of
Hesse Hesse or Hessen ( ), officially the State of Hesse (), is a States of Germany, state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt, which is also the country's principal financial centre. Two other major hist ...
state, it had a population of about 188,000. At that time, Wiesbaden was a part of American-occupied zone of Germany, American occupied zone and parts of the city of
Mainz Mainz (; #Names and etymology, see below) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and with around 223,000 inhabitants, it is List of cities in Germany by population, Germany's 35th-largest city. It lies in ...
, which was the right side on the
Rhine The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...
river, became a part of Wiesbaden. In 1950s many Americans came to Wiesbaden due to its jobs by military bases. Many people who work in Frankfurt live in Wiesbaden due to its high rent of the city. Wiesbaden is one of the most international cities in Germany with people from over 180 countries. List of largest groups of foreign residents of Wiesbaden:


Politics


Mayor

The current mayor of Wiesbaden is Gert-Uwe Mende of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, Social Democratic Party (SPD), who was elected in 2019. The most recent mayoral election was held on 26 May 2019, with a runoff held on 16 June, and the results were as follows: ! rowspan=2 colspan=2, Candidate ! rowspan=2, Party ! colspan=2, First round ! colspan=2, Second round , - ! Votes ! % ! Votes ! % , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Gert-Uwe Mende , align=left, Social Democratic Party of Germany, Social Democratic Party , 29,940 , 27.1 , 41,000 , 62.0 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Eberhard Seidensticker , align=left, Christian Democratic Union of Germany, Christian Democratic Union , 26,997 , 24.5 , 25,104 , 38.0 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Christiane Hinninger , align=left, Alliance 90/The Greens , 25,849 , 23.4 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Sebastian Rutten , align=left, Free Democratic Party (Germany), Free Democratic Party , 11,590 , 10.5 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Eckhard Müller , align=left, Alternative for Germany , 6,859 , 6.2 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Ingo von Seemen , align=left, The Left (Germany), The Left , 5,336 , 4.8 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Christian Bachmann , align=left, Free Voters , 3,812 , 3.5 , - ! colspan=3, Valid votes ! 110,383 ! 98.9 ! 66,104 ! 98.6 , - ! colspan=3, Invalid votes ! 1,202 ! 1.1 ! 937 ! 1.4 , - ! colspan=3, Total ! 111,585 ! 100.0 ! 67,041 ! 100.0 , - ! colspan=3, Electorate/voter turnout ! 208,686 ! 53.5 ! 208,821 ! 32.1 , - , colspan=7, Source: City of Wiesbaden
1st round
The following is a list of mayors since 1945: *1849–1868: Heinrich Fischer *1868–1882: Wilhelm Lanz *1882–1883: Christian Schlichter *1883–1913: Carl Bernhard von Ibell *1913–1919: Karl Glässing *1919–1929: Fritz Travers *1930–1933: Georg Krücke *1933–1937: Alfred Schulte *1937–1945: Erich Mix *1945–1946: Georg Krücke *1946–1953: Hans Heinrich Redlhammer *1951–1954: Georg Kluge *1954–1960: Erich Mix *1960–1968: Georg Buch *1968–1980: Rudi Schmitt *1980–1982: Georg-Berndt Oschatz *1982–1985: Hans-Joachim Jentsch *1985–1997: Achim Exner *1997–2007: Hildebrand Diehl *2007–2013: Helmut Müller *2013–2019: Sven Gerich *2019– : Gert-Uwe Mende


City council

The Wiesbaden city council (''Stadtverordnetenversammlung'') governs the city alongside the Mayor. The most recent city council election was held on 14 March 2021. Following the election, the coalition negotiations resulted in an agreement between Alliance 90/The Greens (Grüne), the Social Democratic Party (SPD), The Left, and Volt Germany. These 42 votes allowed the Greens, who came second in the popular vote, to keep the CDU, who had come in first, out of the governing majority. The full results of the election were as follows: ! colspan=2, Party ! Lead candidate ! Votes ! % ! +/- ! Seats ! +/- , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Christian Democratic Union of Germany, Christian Democratic Union (CDU) , align=left, Daniela Georgi , 1,526,381 , 23.5 , 1.2 , 19 , 1 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Alliance 90/The Greens (Grüne) , align=left, Christiane Hinninger , 1,390,605 , 21.4 , 7.3 , 17 , 6 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Social Democratic Party of Germany, Social Democratic Party (SPD) , align=left, Hendrik Schmehl , 1,320,299 , 20.3 , 5.6 , 17 , 4 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Free Democratic Party (Germany), Free Democratic Party (FDP) , align=left, Christian Diers , 675,021 , 10.4 , 0.6 , 8 , ±0 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Alternative for Germany (AfD) , align=left, Eckhard Müller , 423,519 , 6.5 , 6.3 , 5 , 6 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, The Left (Germany), The Left (Die Linke) , align=left, Ingo von Seemen , 402,735 , 6.2 , 0.0 , 5 , ±0 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Volt Europa#Germany, Volt Germany (Volt) , align=left, Daniel Weber , 246,454 , 3.8 , New , 3 , New , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Free Voters (FW) , align=left, Christian Bachmann , 163,942 , 2.5 , 1.1 , 2 , 1 , - , , align=left, Initiative Pro Auto Wiesbaden (Pro Auto) , align=left, Christian Hill , 105,047 , 1.6 , New , 1 , New , - , , align=left, Citizens' List Wiesbaden (BLW) , align=left, Monika Becht , 73,255 , 1.1 , 0.6 , 1 , ±0 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Die PARTEI (PARTEI) , align=left, Lukas Haker , 51,343 , 0.8 , New , 1 , New , - , , align=left, Independent List Wiesbaden (ULW) , align=left, Veit Wilhelmy , 50,920 , 0.8 , 0.2 , 1 , ±0 , - , , align=left, Alliance for Innovation and Justice (BIG) , align=left, Faissal Wardak , 44,344 , 0.7 , 0.4 , 1 , 1 , - , , align=left, Liberal Conservative Reformers (LKR) , align=left, Thomas Preinl , 25,988 , 0.4 , New , 0 , New , - ! colspan=3, Valid votes ! 83,885 ! 95.9 ! ! ! , - ! colspan=3, Invalid votes ! 3,597 ! 4.1 ! ! ! , - ! colspan=3, Total ! 87,482 ! 100.0 ! ! 81 ! ±0 , - ! colspan=3, Electorate/voter turnout ! 209,347 ! 41.8 ! 1.6 ! ! , - , colspan=8, Source
City Council Vote, Wiesbaden


Transport


Roads

Wiesbaden is well connected to the German motorway (''Autobahn'') system. The Wiesbadener Kreuz is an Autobahn interchange east of the city where the Bundesautobahn 3 (A 3), Cologne to Würzburg, and the Bundesautobahn 66 (A 66), Rheingau to Fulda, meet. With approximately 210,000 cars daily it is one of the most heavily used interchange in Germany. The Bundesautobahn 66 (A 66) connects Wiesbaden with Frankfurt. The Bundesautobahn 643 (A 643) is mainly a commuter motorway which starts in the south of the city centre, runs through the southern part of Wiesbaden crosses the Rhine via the Schierstein Bridge and connect in the northwestern part of
Mainz Mainz (; #Names and etymology, see below) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and with around 223,000 inhabitants, it is List of cities in Germany by population, Germany's 35th-largest city. It lies in ...
to the A60. The Bundesautobahn 671 (A 671) is a very short motorway in the southeastern part of Wiesbaden which primarily serves as a fast connection between the city centre and the Bundesautobahn 60 to serve the cities like Rüsselsheim, Darmstadt and the Rhine-Neckar, Rhine-Neckar region (Mannheim, Ludwigshafen and Heidelberg). The downtown area is bordered on the north side by Taunusstrasse, which has once featured many antique stores. The east side is constrained by Wilhelmstrasse, created by Christian Zais. This 1,000 meter-long street is named after Duke William of Nassau (German Wilhelm), not Emperor Wilhelm II, as many mistakenly believe. The streets of central Wiesbaden are regularly congested with cars during rush hour. Besides some areas, especially the Ringstraße (Wiesbaden), Ringroad and not directly in the centre, and the southern arterial roads like the Mainzer Straße, Biebricher Allee and Schiersteiner Straße.


Rail

Wiesbaden Hauptbahnhof, Wiesbaden's main railway station and several minor railway stops connect the town with Frankfurt Central Station, Frankfurt, Darmstadt Central Station, Darmstadt, Mainz Central Station, Mainz, Limburg (Lahn) station, Limburg, and Koblenz Central Station, Koblenz via Rüdesheim (Rhein) station, Rüdesheim. Wiesbaden Hauptbahnhof is connected to the Cologne-Frankfurt high-speed rail line by a 13-kilometer Breckenheim–Wiesbaden railway, branch line. Hamburg Central Station, Hamburg, München Hauptbahnhof, München, Leipzig Central Station, Leipzig, Dresden Central Station, Dresden, Stuttgart Central Station, Stuttgart, Mannheim Central Station, Mannheim, and Hanover Central Station, Hanover are connected directly to Wiesbaden via long-distance service of the Deutsche Bahn. More services to locations outside the immediate area connect through Mainz or Frankfurt Airport long-distance station, Frankfurt Airport or Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof. Regional trains and bus services are coordinated by the Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund.


Public transport

*S-Bahn Wiesbaden is connected to the Frankfurt S-Bahn Rhein-Main, S-Bahn network and served by three lines ( ) which connect Wiesbaden with the densely populated Frankfurt Rhein-Main Region, Rhine Main Region. All routes have an at least 30 minute service during the day, in the rush hour partially every 15 minutes schedule. It provides access to nearby cities such as
Mainz Mainz (; #Names and etymology, see below) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and with around 223,000 inhabitants, it is List of cities in Germany by population, Germany's 35th-largest city. It lies in ...
, Rüsselsheim, Frankfurt,
Hanau Hanau () is a city in the Main-Kinzig-Kreis, in Hesse, Germany. It is 25 km east of Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main and part of the Frankfurt Rhine-Main, Frankfurt Rhine-Main Metropolitan Region. Its railway Hanau Hauptbahnhof, station is a ma ...
, and
Offenbach am Main Offenbach am Main () is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in Hesse, Germany, on the left bank of the river Main (river), Main. It borders Frankfurt and is part of the Frankfurt urban area and the larger Frankfurt Rhein-Main Regional Aut ...
, and smaller towns that are on the way. *Bus The city's public transportation service ESWE Verkehr connects all city districts to downtown by 45 bus lines in the daytime and 9 bus lines in the night. Five more bus lines, operated by the public transportation service of the city of Mainz, connects Wiesbaden's districts Mainz-Kastel, Kastel and Mainz-Kostheim, Kostheim to Mainz downtown.


Airports

*Frankfurt Airport The city can be accessed from around the world via Frankfurt Airport (''Flughafen Frankfurt am Main'') which is located east of Wiesbaden. The airport has four runways and serves 265 non-stop destinations. Run by transport company Fraport it ranks among the world's busiest airports by passenger traffic, world's 10 busiest airports by passenger traffic and is the World's busiest airports by cargo traffic, second busiest airport by cargo traffic in Europe. The airport also serves as a hub for Condor Flugdienst, Condor and as the main hub for German flag carrier Lufthansa. Depending on whether total passengers or flights are used, it ranks second or third busiest in Europe alongside London Heathrow Airport and Charles de Gaulle Airport, Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. Passenger traffic at Frankfurt Airport in 2011 was 56.5 million. The airport can be reached by car or train and has two railway stations, one for regional and one for long-distance traffic. The S-Bahn lines S8 and S9 (direction ''Offenbach Ost'' or ''Hanau Hbf'') departing at the Frankfurt Airport Regional Train Station, regional train station take 30 minutes from the airport to Wiesbaden Central Station, the Intercity-Express, ICE trains departing at the Frankfurt Airport long-distance station, long-distance railway station take also 30 minutes to the central station. *Frankfurt Hahn Airport Despite the name, Frankfurt Hahn Airport (''Flughafen Frankfurt-Hahn'') is not located anywhere near Frankfurt but is instead situated approximately from the city in Lautzenhausen (
Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; ; ; ) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the sixteen states. Mainz is the capital and largest city. Other cities are ...
). Hahn Airport was a major base for low-cost carrier Ryanair. This airport can be reached by car or bus. The nearest train station is in Traben-Trarbach, it is ca. from the airport, on foot. The roads are not lit.


Port

There are small container port operations nearby on the rivers
Rhine The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...
and
Main Main may refer to: Geography *Main River (disambiguation), multiple rivers with the same name *Ma'in, an ancient kingdom in modern-day Yemen * Main, Iran, a village in Fars Province *Spanish Main, the Caribbean coasts of mainland Spanish territ ...
.


Military

Lucius D. Clay Kaserne (formerly Wiesbaden Army Airfield or WAAF) is located adjacent to Wiesbaden-Erbenheim and is home to the US Army Europe, US Army in Europe (USAREUR) headquarters, the 2nd Signal Brigade and the 66th Military Intelligence Brigade. The airfield was one of the points of origin for flights to Berlin in support of Operation Vittles (the Berlin airlift) during the Berlin Blockade, Soviet blockade of Berlin. General Clay, the commander of the US occupation zone in Germany, was the architect of the airlift. The United States Army runs a garrison in Wiesbaden. The facilities for US soldiers and families are spread across various locations including: Aukamn, Hainerberg, Mainz-Kastel and the Wiesbaden Army-Airfield, where the names of the streets are named after servicemen and women who sacrificed their lives during the Berlin Airlift.


Economy

Wiesbaden hosts a number of international companies, which have their German or European headquarters there including Abbott Laboratories, DXC Technology, Ferrari, Federal-Mogul, Melbourne IT, Porsche, Norwegian Cruise Line, and Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget, SCA. Several German companies also have their headquarters in Wiesbaden, including SGL Carbon, Dyckerhoff, KION Group, DBV-Winterthur, and R + V Versicherung. Wiesbaden is also home to the "Industriepark Kalle-Albert", an industrial park in the southern quarter of Biebrich. It is one of the largest in Germany with over 80 companies from the pharmaceutical industry, pharmaceutical and chemical industry, chemical industries, including Agfa-Gevaert, Clariant, Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation, and Shin-Etsu Chemical. The park was founded by chemical company Hoechst AG in 1997. The Federal Criminal Police Office (Germany), Federal Criminal Police Office and the Federal Statistical Office of Germany are both based in Wiesbaden, along with many Hessian ministries such as the Hessian Landeskriminalamt, State Criminal Police Office. At approximately €77,500, Wiesbaden has the second largest gross domestic product per inhabitant in Hesse, after Frankfurt, making it one of the richest cities in Germany. The purchasing power per inhabitant is €22,500.


Culture

Wiesbaden's most important stage is the Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden. Concert halls include the Friedrich-von-Thiersch-Saal of the Kurhaus. Wiesbaden has a State Library and a conservatory, where Max Reger studied and taught as a young man. Choirs such as the Wiesbadener Knabenchor, Schiersteiner Kantorei and Chor von St. Bonifatius are known in the region and even internationally.


International May Festival

The International May Festival is an annual arts festival presented by the Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden every May. Established in 1896, it is one of the most distinguished international theatre and music festivals in the world. The festival features performances of plays, musicals, operas, and ballets. Concerts from a wide array of music are featured, as are artistic circus acts and modern dance presentations. Lectures, recitals, cabaret performances, and readings are also featured.


Rheingau Wine Festival

The wines and sparkling wines of the close Rheingau are presented annually at the ten-day festival in August, ''Rheingauer Weinwoche'' (Rheingau Wine Week) around the Wiesbaden City Hall, on the Schlossplatz (Palace Square), the square ''Dern'sches Gelände'' and in the pedestrian area. At 118 booths, Rheingau and Wiesbaden vintners offer their wine and sparkling wine and invite to discover the already well known and favored, but also new vintages. Every year thousands of visitors use this opportunity to get acquainted with Rheingau Riesling wines and all their various facets and flavors. Regional specialities compatible with the wines are offered as well. A diversified musical program entertains the wine festival guests. Initiated more than 30 years ago by the Rheingau vintners, this wine festival has a long tradition.


Shooting Star Market

Wiesbaden's Sternschnuppenmarkt is located at the central #Main sights, Schlossplatz and the neighbouring streets of the #Main sights, parliamentary building, #Main sights, old town hall, and #Main sights, market church. The Sternschnuppenmarkt takes place from the end of November until 23 December every year and is open from Monday until Thursday 10:30 – 9:00 pm, Friday and Saturday 10:30 – 9:30 pm, and Sunday 12:00 – 9:00 pm. The market is related to the city arms of Wiesbaden: the colours blue and gold and the three lilies are characteristic. Four gates and an illuminated floral roof symbolizing Fleur-de-lis, consisting of twelve over ten metre high and twelve metre wide luminous lilies, emboss the Sternschnuppenmarkt. Over 110 booths are decorated in oriental style, coloured blue and gold, offering Christmas style goods, arts and crafts as well as nostalgic carousels and a toy train. A Christmas tree more than tall is decorated with 1000 blue and golden ties, 2500 electric bulbs and 30 flash bulbs. The nativity scene displays life-sized wooden figures.


Rheingau Musik Festival

From the beginning in 1988 the Rheingau Musik Festival has staged summer concerts in the Marktkirche, Wiesbaden, Marktkirche and in the concert hall of the Kurhaus, Wiesbaden, Kurhaus now named Friedrich-von-Thiersch-Saal.


Sport

Since 2007 Wiesbaden has been home to SV Wehen Wiesbaden, an association football team that formerly played in nearby Taunusstein. The club was promoted to the 2. Bundesliga in 2019, but relegated back to the 3. Liga in 2020.


Twin towns – sister cities

Town twinning between Wiesbaden and other cities began with Klagenfurt in 1930, one of the first town-twinnings in Germany. Wiesbaden is Sister city, twinned with: * Klagenfurt, Austria (1930) * Montreux, Switzerland (1953) * Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg (Berlin), Germany (1964) * Ghent, Belgium (1969) * Fondettes, France (1975) * Ljubljana, Slovenia (1977) * Kfar Saba, Israel (1981) * San Sebastián, Spain (1981) * Wrocław, Poland (1987) * Royal Tunbridge Wells, England, United Kingdom (1989) * Görlitz, Germany (1990) * Ocotal, Nicaragua (1990) * Fatih, Turkey (2012) * Kamianets-Podilskyi, Ukraine (2023)


Coat of arms

Wiesbaden's coat of arms features three fleur-de-lis, fleurs-de-lys, stylized representations of the city's heraldic symbol, the lily. The blazon is: "Azure, two and one fleurs-de-lys Or".


Notable people

*Kathrin Ackermann (born 1938), actress *Adolphe, Grand Duke of Luxembourg (born 1817,
Biebrich Palace Biebrich Palace () is a Baroque residence (''Schloss'') in the borough of Biebrich in the city of Wiesbaden, Hesse, Germany. Built in 1702 by Prince Georg August Samuel of Nassau-Idstein, it served as the ducal residence for the independent Du ...
), reign 23 November 1890 – 17 November 1905 *Norbert Becker (agroscientist), Norbert J. Becker (1937–2012), agricultural scientist and specialist in the area of vine breeding and viticulture *Adolphus Busch (1839–1913), founder of Anheuser-Busch *Sarah Colonna (born 1974), American stand-up comedian *Shlomo Eckstein (1929–2020), Israeli economist and President of Bar-Ilan University *Gisela Ehrensperger (born 1943), Swiss operatic soprano *Erwin Finlay-Freundlich (1885–1964), astronomer *Petra Fuhrmann (1955–2019), member of the Hessian Landtag *Biruté Galdikas (born 1946), Lithuanian-Canadian primatologist *Jürgen Grabowski (1944–2022), footballer *Berthold Guthmann (1893–1944), lawyer and First World War veteran *Peter Hanenberger (born 1942), automotive specialist for General Motors, previously chairman of Holden *Karl Herxheimer (1861–1942), dermatologist *Renée Riese Hubert (1916–2005), German-born American writer and academic *Franz Kaiser (1891–1962), astronomer, discoverer of asteroid 717 Wisibada and asteroid 765 Mattiaca, both named in honour of the city of Wiesbaden *Wilhelm Kempf (bishop), Wilhelm Kempf (1906–1982), Catholic theologian, Bishop of Limburg 1949–1981 *Julia Kerr (1898–1965), composer and pianist *Michael Kessler (born 1967), actor and comedian *Alfred Koerppen (1926–2022), organist, music pedagogue, composer and academic teacher * Moritz Körner (born 1990), German politician of the Free Democratic Party (Germany), Free Democratic Party, Member of the European Parliament *Otto Krebs (1873–1941), industrialist and art collector *Günther Lütjens (1889–1941), admiral and commander of the World War II naval Operation Rheinübung, aboard the battleship *Bruce Maxwell (born 1990), American baseball player (born on a U.S. military base) *John McEnroe (born 1959), American tennis player (born on a U.S. military base) *August Momberger (1905–1969), racing driver and engineer *Melody Perkins (born 1974), American actress *Emil Pfeiffer (1846–1921), physician *Bud Pierce (born 1956), American politician *Dieter Rams (born 1932), industrial designer, former head of design for Braun (company), Braun *Rudolf von Ribbentrop (1921–2019), captain in the Waffen-SS, recipient of the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross for bravery *Leona Riemann (born 1952) German writer, author, and publisher *Nico Rosberg (born 1985), Finnish-German racing driver, 2016 Formula One season, 2016 Formula One World Champion *Heinrich Rubens (1865–1922), physicist *Volker Schlöndorff (born 1939), film director *Ernst Scholz (1874–1932), politician *Kristina Schröder (born 1977), politician (CDU) *Henry Schwarzschild (1925–1996), American activist for civil rights and human rights *Simone Signoret (1921–1985), French actress *Kiki VanDeWeghe (born 1958), American basketball player, coach and executive *Valerie Weigmann (born 1989), Filipino-German actress, host and Miss World Philippines 2014 titleholder *Silvia Weiss, soprano *Susan Wild (born 1957), American lawyer and former member of the US House of Representatives (born on a U.S. military base) *Arnold Walfisz (1892–1962), Polish mathematician *William IV, Grand Duke of Luxembourg (born 1852,
Biebrich Palace Biebrich Palace () is a Baroque residence (''Schloss'') in the borough of Biebrich in the city of Wiesbaden, Hesse, Germany. Built in 1702 by Prince Georg August Samuel of Nassau-Idstein, it served as the ducal residence for the independent Du ...
), reign 17 November 1905 – 25 February 1912 *Maria Yakunchikova (1870–1902), Russian painter and graphic artist *Schoolboy Q (born 1986), American rapper (born on a U.S. military base)


Notable residents

*Eno (rapper), Eno, rapper, lives in Wiesbaden *Peter Carl Fabergé, fled Russia to Germany, settled first in Bad Homburg and then in Wiesbaden *Mayte Garcia, American belly dancer, actress, author, singer and choreographer, lived in Wiesbaden with her parents. It was here that she met her future husband, the singer Prince, backstage at one of his concert *Alexej von Jawlensky, Russian Expressionist painter, lived there in 1922–1941 and died there *Hava Lazarus-Yafeh (1930–1998), Orientalism, Orientalist, scholar, editor, and educator; born in Wiesbaden. *Béla Kéler, Hungarian composer, he lived in Wiesbaden from 1863 until his death in 1882. He led the orchestra of the Second Regiment of the Duke of Nassau (1863–1866), and later also the spa orchestra (1870–1872). *Vladimir Nabokov, Russian novelist, poet, translator and entomologist, writes in his autobiography about his memories of his childhood in Wiesbaden *Priscilla Presley, lived in Wiesbaden with her parents. It was here that she met Elvis Presley. *Max Reger, studied in Wiesbaden *Mickey Rourke, resides in Wiesbaden at least part-time with his Russian-born girlfriend Anastassija Makarenko *Debby Ryan, American actress, lived in Wiesbaden for three years *Richard Wagner, settled in Wiesbaden-Biebrich, Biebrich (now part of Wiesbaden) in 1861, after the political ban against him in Germany was lifted. It was there that he began work on Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. *Reese Witherspoon, lived in Wiesbaden with her parents


Notable visitors

*In the 19th century, visitors to the Wiesbaden's famous hot springs included Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Johannes Brahms. Brahms' Symphony No. 3 (Brahms), Symphony No. 3 (Op. 90) was composed in Wiesbaden in the summer of 1883. *Washington Roebling, chief engineer of the Brooklyn Bridge, came to Wiesbaden—along with his wife, Emily Warren Roebling—in 1873, hoping that the warm springs would ameliorate the effects of the decompression sickness he suffered as a result of working in caissons of the bridge. *Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky, who suffered from an acute gambling compulsion, allegedly lost his travelling money in Wiesbaden's ''Spielbank'' casino in 1865. The experience became the inspiration of his 1866 novel The Gambler (novel), The Gambler (Russian Игрок), set in the fictitious place "Roulettenburg". Some historians have disputed this account, saying that Bad Homburg was the location for Dostoevsky's real-life misfortune. *Wiesbaden's Bowling Green has been very popular in recent years since various open-air concerts have been held there by artists like Elton John (2009, 2011 & 2019), Rod Stewart (2009), Eric Clapton (2008), R.E.M. (2003), Sting (musician), Sting (2001), Bryan Adams (2000), Simply Red (1999), José Carreras (1992), and Luciano Pavarotti (1993). Lionel Richie and Plácido Domingo (2nd time in Wiesbaden) have also performed there.


Rivalry with Mainz

Mainz Mainz (; #Names and etymology, see below) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and with around 223,000 inhabitants, it is List of cities in Germany by population, Germany's 35th-largest city. It lies in ...
, on the opposite side of the
Rhine The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...
, is Wiesbaden's archrival – the two cities are the capitals of their respective Bundesländer, and citizens of both cities joke, jokingly refer to those on the other one as "living on the wrong side of the river".


Fictional references

*In his short story "The Horror of the Heights" (1913), Sir Arthur Conan Doyle refers to an aerial region over Wiesbaden and Bad Homburg vor der Höhe, Homburg in which aircraft mysteriously vanish. *In the 1983 American television movie ''The Day After'', Wiesbaden was the first city to be destroyed by a nuclear weapon during the escalating war between NATO and Warsaw Pact forces that eventually leads to a full-scale nuclear exchange between the United States and the Soviet Union. *The historical novel series ''Romanike'' (2006–2014) by Codex Regius features Wiesbaden in the Roman age, or Aquae Mattiacorum, as one of its main locations.


References


Notes


External links


Official websiteThe Jewish Community of Wiesbaden
on the Yad Vashem website
Wiesbaden City Panoramas
– Panoramic Views and virtual Tours
Photos of WiesbadenMore Photos of Wiesbaden

Wiesbaden Daily PhotosWebcam to Wiesbaden (Remote-Control Pan-Tilt)Webcam to Railway-Station WiesbadenWiesbaden U.S. Army Garrison
* {{Authority control Wiesbaden, 120s establishments in the Roman Empire German state capitals Holocaust locations in Germany Populated places established in the 2nd century Populated places on the Rhine Roman towns and cities in Germany Spa towns in Germany Urban districts of Hesse Darmstadt (region)