Kurhaus Bad Neuenahr

The Kurhaus in Bad Neuenahr stands beside the River Ahr in the spa town of Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler. Built between 1903 and 1905 to designs by Cologne architect Oscar Schütz, it cost the local spa company one million gold marks. The building became a protected monument soon after completion. Its great hall once held 700 seats on the parquet floor and 300 in the balcony. The Kurhaus also housed the Bad Neuenahr casino and rooms for congresses and celebrations. The building’s 170-metre length makes it a striking example of German neobarock style. A rare feature is its south-side entrance framed by twin towers. Inside, a grand vestibule leads up to a foyer and then to the main hall. Outside, garden rooms and terraces open onto lawns and the riverbank. The Kurhaus forms the heart of the spa quarter, linked to a music pavilion, park, sanatorium and hotels. Visitors find a long façade of pale stone and tall windows. The entrance hall rises to a coffered ceiling with ornate plasterwork. Steps from the foyer bring them to the great hall, still lined with original woodwork and chandeliers. South and west terraces overlook the Ahr valley and the town’s tree-lined promenades. The surrounding ensemble of spa buildings completes the impression of a grand 19th-century resort.