Kurhaus Wiesbaden

The Kurhaus Wiesbaden stands at the heart of the city, in the spa quarter known as the Kureck. It occupies the end of Wilhelmstraße, Wiesbaden’s main thoroughfare, with the town centre on the opposite side. The building’s main entrance faces the Bowling Green, a grassy square with two fountains laid out by British visitors in the 19th century. To the south is the Hessisches Staatstheater and its colonnade, while to the north the 129-metre Kurhaus colonnade runs along the casino’s slot-machine hall. Behind the Kurhaus, the Kurpark stretches eastward with a band shell and fountain pond, often called the city’s most scenic green space. The Kurhaus began as a modest spa house in 1810, designed by Christian Zais and praised by Goethe. By 1910 the spa welcomed 200,000 visitors a year, so a grander replacement was built between 1905 and 1907 to designs by Friedrich von Thiersch at a cost of six million gold marks. Kaiser Wilhelm II declared it the most beautiful spa building in the world, and the two concert halls still bear the architect’s and the original builder’s names. The casino moved into the former wine hall in 1949, where Fyodor Dostoyevsky is said to have found inspiration for The Gambler. A major renovation in the 1980s added modern conference technology. Inside, the building mixes neo-classical grandeur with Art Nouveau flourishes. The Friedrich von Thiersch Hall seats 1,350 beneath a 21-metre dome supported by four giant piers topped with Greek deities and colourful mosaics. The Shell Hall, once the South Reading Room, glows with frescoes by Fritz Erler and Alexander von Salzmann, its walls lined with pebbles and shells. Smaller rooms bear the names of Carl Schuricht, Carl von Ibell, Dostoyevsky and others, while the Christian Zais Hall hosts balls and the casino offers roulette, blackjack and poker. An organ with 3,000 pipes, rebuilt after the war, plays during concerts and spa recitals.