Kurhaus Bad Schwalbach

The Kurhaus in Bad Schwalbach is a Neorenaissance building from the peak of spa culture in the 19th century. It stands in the Stahlbrunnental valley, facing the Amtsgebäude known as the Rotenburger Schlösschen. The city bought the Pfarrgarten site in the 1850s and ran an architectural competition, though none of the prize-winning designs was built. The project was finally led by Philipp Hoffmann, a retired Prussian Oberbaurat, who simplified the plans and erected the Cursaal-Bau between 1873 and 1879. Mayors Philippi and Höhn pushed the work forward, helped by figures such as Johann Heinrich Fenner von Fenneberg and Sir Francis Head. During the First World War it served as a military hospital, later became a temporary town hall, then a casino, and after 1932 passed into Prussian hands. Inside, the two-storey Kursaal is framed by black Nassau marble columns and adorned with elaborate coloured stucco. The main façade faces east towards the town centre, with a five-bay central block topped by a low pediment and flanked by lower wings. On the park sides, five-bay loggias rest on columns, giving views over the landscaped grounds.