Wiesbaden

 Travel times from Augsburg:
Train – 4 hours
Car – 3 hours, 15 mins.

The town received its descriptive name, literally “bathing in the fields,” from the Franconians in 829. Long before this group, though, the thermal waters were discovered by the Romans. Nearly 2000 years ago, Roman soldiers began to bathe in the thermal water that bubbled up through the ground. They found these steaming pools had healing effects on them, and the ancient attraction still remains. Wiesbaden’s wealthy spa, resort and casino owners can thank those stinky Roman soldiers and their inadvertent discovery while washing up in the fields for their continued popularity and profitability today.

It began to develop as a resort town in the early nineteenth century, and the European aristocracy came in droves. The presence, prestige and influence of the cultural elite helped develop an extensive calendar of cultural events (many surviving to this day) and the magnificent structures built to house them. Casinos became popular in Wiesbaden to entertain the royalty, nobility and intellectual elite between dips in the baths and it quickly became one of the leading spa destinations in Europe.

The Heidenmauer (Heathens' Wall) is the city’s oldest structure, dating from Roman times, and is found next to the Römertor (Roman Gateway). It was part of a Roman stronghold dating back to 364-375 A.D. built to ward off attacks from the Germanic tribes. Only fragments of the wall remain today. The Römertor was built in 1902 with a covered wooden bridge. In the Römisches Freilichtmuseum (Roman Open-Air Museum) next to the Römertor, there are copies of stone tablets found in Wiesbaden from the Roman era. In the Museum Wiesbaden, an extensively renovated art collection and exhibit focuses on the "Roman Era and the Early Middle Ages."

The Altstadt (Old City), once encircled by a city wall, lends itself to strolls through its narrow, twisting alleys lined with houses dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries. Perhaps the most impressive area is the district around the “new” Kurhaus, the massive and magnificent Wilhelminian structure that opened in 1907. The neoclassical structure is awe-inspiring with its massive dome and rich adornments, also housing the ornate Spielbank. Try your luck at the famed casino, where roulette, blackjack and poker are the primary games of choice, and visitors can tour or even take lessons. The adjacent Kurhaus Colonnade features a less formal gambling setting with 130 slot machines.

The neighboring Hessisches Staatstheater (Hessian State Theater) was built between 1892-1894 by Fellner and Helmer, two Viennese architects. The magnificent and majestic foyer in Rococo style was added in 1902. The theater auditorium in the "Grosses Haus" is a revival of the Baroque style and has 1041 seats.

And, of course, you can’t leave Wiesbaden without experiencing the thermal baths as the Romans did. The Kaiser-Friedrich-Therme, erected in 1913, re-opened to the public in 1999 after extensive restorations. This historic thermal bath is heated by the Adlerquelle, a hot spring with a temperature of 66°C. It offers an Irish-Roman Bath, a fascinating contemporary sauna landscape, and a range of therapies using natural methods of treatment.

This is just a sampling of sights and cities in the Historic Highlights of Germany. Find out more at www.historicgermany.com. For planning assistance, contact your travel professional.

Parts of this text originally appeared in Gemütlichkeit, the Travel Letter for Germany, Austria and Switzerland, www.gemut.com.