Wiesbaden, Spa Town and Capital of Hesse

Old house in Wiesbaden

 Blog 15

Wiesbaden, the capital of Hesse, is the last city I will write about for now.


Wiesbaden is on the opposite side of the Rhine from Mainz. It is not only the seat of the Hessian parliament but also a cultural centre with its Kurhaus, shops, trade fairs, historic downtown centre and museums. Strolling with a friend through the city a couple of years ago, I admired the many old buildings more than the boutiques they housed.

 

The famous Kurhaus contains many historic rooms for conventions, musical entertainment and the casino. Its beautiful park invites many people for a stroll.


Wiesbaden is the oldest European spa town, known for its hot springs. It also offers many excellent hospitals and health clinics. Unfortunately, during my last stay, I only saw this part due to my mother’s urgent operation.

Der Froschkönig - The Frog Prince, fur

When I still created and collected teddy bears, I was always excited when the yearly teddy bear show fell into one of my visits. One time, I even entered one of my bears in a competition to recreate a character of a fairytale. I didn’t win, but I was excited when I saw my bear in the magazine. Since I started needle felting, I haven't created any more bears, even though this was my main occupation and comfort during my early years in Canada.


Wiesbaden also has many villas and castles that reflect the long history of wealthy citizens. Schloss Freudenberg is one of the large villas that was transformed from a private residence to an educational facility focusing on letting visitors explore experiences of sensory perception.

 

You would assume that in a small country the size of Ontario, I would have visited all states and could keep writing about the many cultural highlights. While I lived in Nordrhein Westfalia, the Saarland, the Black Forest and Berlin as a child, I saw the places from a child’s view. Now that I don’t have to consider the needs of small kids anymore, I am eager to travel to more places in Germany, especially parts of the East. I will talk about some of the cities and regions I visited from time to time, but I don’t want to create a travel blog. I wrote about the five cities of the Rhine-Main-Area to show you the cultural richness that I appreciate so much more now than I did when I still lived in Germany. Is there a city or area of Germany that intrigues you?