Kaiser-Wilhelm-Denkmal

The Kaiser-Wilhelm-Denkmal stands in the spa town of Bad Gastein in Salzburg, Austria. It was built in 1889 to mark the twenty health cures taken there by the German emperor. The monument is protected and sits on the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Promanade, named in his honour. The journey is worth it for the story it tells. Wilhelm I first came in 1863 as King of Prussia, staying incognito at the Badeschloss hotel. His chancellor, Otto von Bismarck, negotiated the Gasteiner Convention there in 1865. Later meetings between Wilhelm and Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria turned Gastein into a centre of European politics. The bronze bust at the heart of the monument was paid for by German spa guests. Visitors find a stone monument with a bronze bust at its centre. It sits on the tree-lined promenade above the town. The walkway offers views over the valley and the waterfalls that made Bad Gastein famous. Nearby stands the Christophoruskirche where the unveiling service was held in 1889. The spa’s grand hotels recall the days when emperors and statesmen gathered here.