Historically, Wiesbaden was aNassauian city. From 1170 to 1629, it lay in theCounty of Nassau, and from 1629 to 1721, it was in the county and later principality of Nassau-Idstein, all of which were territories within theHoly Roman Empire ruled by branches of theHouse of Nassau. In 1728, the city found itself in the principality ofNassau-Usingen, and in 1744,Biebrich Palace became the main residence of the House of Nassau-Usingen. In 1806, the city became the capital of theDuchy of Nassau. Since 1841, the newly builtWiesbaden City Palace was the principal Nassauian residence. From 1868 to 1944, the city lay in thePrussianProvince of Hesse-Nassau, and from 1944 to 1945, it was the capital of theProvince of Nassau. In 1945, it became the capital ofGreater Hesse and subsequently, in 1946, ofHesse.
Wiesbaden is one of the oldestspa towns in Europe. Its name translates to "meadow baths", and there are 15mineral springs—14 of which arehot springs—in the city centre.[3] With a yield of around 2 million liters daily, Wiesbaden is the second-most productive German spa afterAachen. Its location in a mountain basin at the southern foot of theTaunus, protected by the mountains in the north and west, gives Wiesbaden a mild climate. It has been called the "Nice of the North" because of its climate and architecture.[4] The city of Wiesbaden is one of the wealthiest cities in Germany and one of those with above-average purchasing power.[5] TheUnited States Army Europe and Africa headquarters are located inWiesbaden-Erbenheim.
Wiesbaden is situated on the right (northern) bank of theRhine, above the confluence of theMain, where the Rhine's main direction changes from north to west. The city is across the Rhine from Mainz, the capital of the state ofRhineland-Palatinate. Frankfurt am Main is located about 38 kilometres (23.6 mi) east. To the north of the city are theTaunus Mountains, which trend in a northeasterly direction.
The city center, theStadtmitte, is located in the north-easternmost part of theUpper Rhine Valley at the spurs of the Taunus mountains, about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) from the Rhine. The landscape is formed by a wide lowland between the Taunus heights in the north, the Bierstadter Höhe and the Hainerberg in the east, the Mosbacher Mountain in the south, and the Schiersteiner Mountain in the west, an offshoot of the Taunus range.
The downtown is drained only by the narrow valley of the Salzbach, a tributary of the Rhine, on the eastern flanks of the Mosbacher Mountain. The city's main railway line and the Mainz road (Mainzer Straße) follow this valley. Several other streams drain into the Salzbach within the city center: the Wellritzbach, the Kesselbach, the Schwarzbach, the Dambach, and the Tennelbach, as well as the outflow of many thermal and mineral springs in theKurhaus (spa) district. Above the city center, the Salzbach is better known as the Rambach.
The highest point of the Wiesbaden municipality is located northwest of the city center near the summit of the Hohe Wurzel, with an elevation of 608 metres (1,995 ft)above sea level. The lowest point is the harbour entrance of Schierstein at 83 metres (272 ft) above sea level. The central square (theSchlossplatz, or palace square) is at an elevation of 115 metres (377 ft).
Wiesbaden covers an area of 204 km2 (79 sq mi). It is 17.6 kilometres (10.9 mi) from north to south and 19.7 kilometres (12.2 mi) from west to east. In the north are vast forest areas, which cover 27.4% of the urban area. In the west and east arevineyards and agricultural land, which cover 31.1% of the area. Of the municipality's 79-kilometre-long (49.1 mi) border, the Rhine makes up 10.3 kilometres (6.4 mi).
Wiesbaden has atemperate-oceanic climate (Köppen:Cfb;Trewartha:Dobk) with relatively cold winters and warm summers. Its average annual temperature is 9.8 °C (49.6 °F), with monthly mean temperatures ranging from 1.2 °C (34.2 °F) in January to 18.9 °C (66.0 °F) in July.
The Wiesbaden weather station has recorded the following extreme values:[6]
Highest Temperature 38.9 °C (102.0 °F) on25 July 2019.
Lowest Temperature −18.7 °C (−1.7 °F) on 19 December 2009.
Wettest Year 1,067.3 mm (42.02 in) in 1965.
Driest Year 473.3 mm (18.63 in) in 1976.
Highest Daily Precipitation: 71.0 mm (2.80 in) on 7 October 1982.
Earliest Snowfall: 5 November 1966.
Latest Snowfall: 15 April 2001.
Climate data for Wiesbaden, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1960–present[a]
While evidence of settlement at present-day Wiesbaden dates back to theNeolithic era, historical records document continuous occupancy after the erection of aRoman fort in 6 AD which housed an auxiliary cavalry unit. Thethermal springs of Wiesbaden are first mentioned inPliny the Elder'sNaturalis Historia. They were famous for their recreation pools for Roman army horses and possibly as the source of a mineral used for red hair dye (which was very fashionable around the turn of BC/AD among women in Rome).[9]
The Roman settlement is first mentioned using the nameAquae Mattiacorum (Latin for "Waters of the Mattiaci") in 121.[10][11] TheMattiaci were aGermanic tribe, possibly a branch of the neighboringChatti, who lived in the vicinity at that time. The town also appears as Mattiacum inPtolemy'sGeographia (2.10). The Roman Empire built theLimes Germanicus, which was a line of Roman frontier fortifications in theTaunus. Wiesbaden is just south of the Taunus.
The capital of the province ofGermania Superior,Mogontiacum (present-dayMainz), base of 2 (at times 3) Roman legions, was just over the Rhine and connected by a bridge at the present-day borough ofMainz-Kastel (Roman "castellum"), a strongly fortified bridgehead.
TheAlamanni, a coalition of Germanic tribes from beyond theLimes, captured the fort around 260. Later, in the 370s, when the Romans and Alamanni were allied, the Alemanni gained control of the Wiesbaden area and were in charge of its defense against other Germanic tribes.
After theFranks underClovis I defeated the Alamanni in theBattle of Tolbiac in 496, the Franks eventually displaced the Alamanni in the Wiesbaden area over the course of the 6th century. In the 8th century, Wiesbaden became the site of a royalpalace of the Frankish kingdom. The first documented use of the name Wiesbaden is byEinhard, the biographer ofCharlemagne, whose writings mention "Wisabada" sometime between 828 and 830.[12]
When the FrankishCarolingian Empire broke up in 888, Wiesbaden was in the eastern half, calledEast Francia (which would evolve into theHoly Roman Empire). The town was part ofFranconia, the heartland of East Francia. In the 1170s, theCount ofNassau, Walram I, received the area around Wiesbaden as afiefdom. When Franconia fragmented in the early 13th century, Nassau emerged as an independent state as part of the Holy Roman Empire.
In 1232 Wiesbaden became aReichsstadt, an imperial city, of the Holy Roman Empire. However, in 1242, during the war of EmperorFrederick II against the Pope, theArchbishop of Mainz,Siegfried III, ordered the city's destruction.
In 1355, the County of Nassau-Weilburg was divided among the sons of Gerlach. The County of Nassau's holdings would be subdivided many times among heirs, with the parts being brought together again whenever a line died out. Wiesbaden became the seat of the County of Nassau-Wiesbaden under Count Adolf I (1307–1370), eldest son of Gerlach. It would eventually fall back to Nassau-Weilburg in 1605.
A view of Wiesbaden from theTopographia Hassiae byMatthäus Merian in 1655
Due to its participation in the uprisings of theGerman Peasants' War of 1525, Wiesbaden lost all its privileges for over 40 years. During this time, Wiesbaden becameProtestant with the nomination of Wolf Denthener as firstLutheran pastor on 1 January 1543. The same day, the first Latin school was opened, preparing pupils for thegymnasium inIdstein. In 1566, the privileges of the city were restored.
The oldest remaining building of Wiesbaden, the old city hall, was built in 1609 and 1610. No older buildings are preserved due to two fires in 1547 and 1561. In 1648, at the end of the devastatingThirty Years' War, chronicles tell that Wiesbaden had barely 40 residents left. In 1659, the County of Nassau-Weilburg was divided again. Wiesbaden became part of the County of Nassau-Usingen. In 1744, the seat of Nassau-Usingen was moved toBiebrich. In 1771, the Count of Nassau-Usingen granted a concession for gambling in Wiesbaden. In 1810, the Wiesbaden Casino (German:Spielbank) was opened in the old Kurhaus. Gambling was later outlawed byPrussian authorities in 1872.
As a result ofNapoleon's victory over Austria in theBattle of Austerlitz, the Holy Roman Empire was dissolved in 1805. On 12 July 1806, 16 states in present-day Germany, including the remaining counties of Nassau-Usingen and Nassau-Weilburg, formally left the Holy Roman Empire and joined in theConfederation of the Rhine. Napoleon was its "protector". Under pressure from Napoleon, both counties merged to form theDuchy of Nassau on 30 August 1806.
At the 1815Congress of Vienna, the Duchy of Nassau joined theGerman Confederation. The capital of Nassau was moved from Weilburg to Wiesbaden, and the city became the ducal residence. Building activity started to give the city a magnificent appearance. Most of the historical center of Wiesbaden dates back to this time.
In theRevolutions of 1848, 30,000 citizens of Nassau assembled in Wiesbaden on 4 March. They demanded a constitution from the Duke, which they received.
In theAustro-Prussian War of 1866, Nassau took Austria's side. This decision led to the end of the duchy. After the Austrian defeat, Nassau was annexed byPrussia and became part of the Prussianprovince of Hesse-Nassau. The deposed dukeAdolph of Nassau in 1890 became theGrand Duke of Luxembourg (seeHouse of Nassau). This turned out to be a fortunate change for the city, as it then became an international spa town. A rise in construction commenced after the aristocracy followed the lead of the Hohenzollern emperors, who began annual trips to Wiesbaden.[13]
The period around the turn of the 20th century is regarded as the heyday of the city.Kaiser Wilhelm II visited the city regularly in summer, such that it became an unofficial "summer residence". The city was also popular among the Russian nobility. In the wake of the imperial court, numerous nobles, artists, and wealthy businessmen increasingly settled in the city. Many wealthy persons chose Wiesbaden as their retirement seat, as it offered leisure and medical treatment alike. In the latter part of the 19th century, Wiesbaden became the German city with the most millionaires.[14]
In 1894, the present Hessian State Theater, designed by the Vienna architects Fellner and Helmer, was built on behalf of Kaiser Wilhelm II.
After World War I, Wiesbaden fell under the Allied occupation of the Rhineland and was occupied by the French army in 1918. In 1921, the Wiesbaden Agreement on German reparations to France was signed in the city. In 1925, Wiesbaden became the headquarters of theBritish Army of the Rhine until the withdrawal of occupying forces from the Rhineland in 1930.
In 1929, an airport was constructed in Erbenheim on the site of a horse-racing track. In 1936,Fighter Squadron 53 of theLuftwaffe was stationed here.
In theKristallnacht pogrom on 10 November 1938, Wiesbaden's large synagogue on Michelsberg was destroyed. The synagogue had been designed by Phillip Hoffmann and built in 1869. Another synagogue inWiesbaden-Bierstadt was also destroyed. When the Nazis came to power in Germany, there were 2,700 Jews living in Wiesbaden. By June 1942 nearly all of them had been deported to theextermination camps inGerman-occupied Poland.[15]
GeneralLudwig Beck from Wiesbaden was one of the planners of the20 July 1944 assassination attempt ofAdolf Hitler. Beck was designated by his fellow conspirators to be future Head of State (Regent) after the elimination of Hitler. The plot failed, however, and Beck was forced to commit suicide. Today, the city annually awards the Ludwig Beck prize for civil courage in his honor.
Lutheran pastor and theologianMartin Niemöller, founder of theConfessing Church resistance movement against the Nazis, was an Honorary Citizen of Wiesbaden. He presented his last sermon before his arrest in Wiesbaden's Market Church.
Bereich Hauptsitz Metz was the headquarters forUnterregion-HauptsitzeMetz,Diedenhofen (Thionville), andSaint-Avold.
During the war, Wiesbaden was, between August 1940 and the end of 1942, bombed by theRoyal Air Force and from 1943 through to March 1945, was attacked by both RAF and United States Air Force bombers on 66 days. In the attacks, about 18% of the city's homes were destroyed. During the war, more than 25% of the city's buildings were damaged or worse and 1,700 people were killed.[17]
Wiesbaden was captured by U.S. Army forces on 28 March 1945. The U.S. 317th Infantry Regiment attacked in assault boats across the Rhine from Mainz while the 319th Infantry attacked across the river Main nearHochheim am Main. The attack started at 01:00 and by early afternoon the two forces of the80th U.S. Infantry Division had linked up with the loss of only three dead and three missing. The Americans captured 900 German soldiers and a warehouse full of 4,000 cases of champagne.[20]
After the war's end, American rock artistElvis Presley was stationed in Friedberg and often visited Wiesbaden.[17]
After World War II, the state of Hesse was established (seeGreater Hesse), and Wiesbaden became its capital, though nearbyFrankfurt am Main is much larger and works as Hesse's economic and financial centre. Wiesbaden however suffered much less than Frankfurt from air bombing. There is a persistent rumour that the U.S. Army Air Force spared the town with the intention of turning it into a postwar HQ, but USAAF sources claim this to be a myth, arguing that Wiesbaden's economic and strategic importance simply did not justify more bombing.[citation needed] Wiesbaden was host to the Headquarters, U.S. Air Forces, Europe based at the formerLindsey Air Station from 1953 to 1973.
In 1962, the American artistsGeorge Maciunas,Dick Higgins andAlison Knowles traveled to Europe to promote a planned "Fluxus" publication with concerts of antique musical instruments, the “Fluxus Internationale Festspiele Neuester Music” (Fluxus International Festival of Newest Music) at theMuseum Wiesbaden. Fourteen concerts were performed on four weekends between 1 and 23 September which marked the beginning of the Fluxus movement. Work by musicians such asJohn Cage,György Ligeti,Krzysztof Penderecki,Terry Riley,Brion Gysin and others were performed alongside new performance pieces written by Higgins, Knowles,George Brecht,Nam June Paik,Ben Patterson,Robert Filliou,Emmett Williams, and others. One performance in particular, "Piano Activities" byPhilip Corner, became notorious by challenging the important status of the piano in post-war German homes.[22]
Wiesbaden has long been famous for its thermal springs and spa. Use of the thermal springs was first documented by the Romans. The business of spring bathing became important for Wiesbaden near the end of theMiddle Ages. By 1370, 16 bath houses were in operation. By 1800, the city had 2,239 inhabitants and 23 bath houses.
Gambling followed bathingen suite, and in the 19th century, Wiesbaden was famous for both. Its casino (Spielbank) rivalled those ofBad Homburg,Baden-Baden, andMonaco. In 1872, the Prussian-dominated imperial government closed down all German gambling houses. The Wiesbaden casino was reopened in 1949.
TheSchloßplatz ("palace square") is situated in the center of the city, surrounded by several outstanding buildings. Theducal palace was begun underWilliam, Duke of Nassau. Its foundations were laid in 1837 and it was completed in November 1841 (two years after William's death). For the twenty-six remaining years of ducal authority it was the residence of the ruling family. It later served as a secondary residence for the King ofPrussia 1866 to 1918. It was later used as a headquarters for French and British occupying forces after World War I, then as a museum.
Since 1945, the building has served asLandtag (parliamentary building) for the state of Hesse. The site of the palace had been that of a castle, probably from the early Middle Ages, around which the city had developed. While nothing is known of the former castle, remains of it were uncovered during excavations after World War II.
New Town Hall, picture taken 1893Old Town Hall
The new town hall was built in 1887. A tile mosaic in front of the town hall shows theheraldic eagle of theKingdom of Prussia (of which Wiesbaden was a part at the time), thecoat of arms of the PrussianProvince of Hesse-Nassau, and thefleur-de-lis of Wiesbaden. The old town hall, built in 1610, is the oldest preserved building in the city center and now is used as a civil registry office.
TheProtestantMarktkirche ("market church") was built from 1852 to 1862 in aneo-Gothic style. Its western steeple is 92 metres (302 feet) in height, making the church the highest building in the city.
The monumentalNeo-ClassicalKurhaus ("spa house") was built at the request of KaiserWilhelm II between 1904 and 1907. Its famousSpielbank (casino) is again in operation.
In front of the Kurhaus is a lawn known as the Bowling Green. To one side of the Bowling Green is the Kurhaus Kolonnade. Built in 1827, the 129 meter structure is the longest hall in Europe supported by pillars. To the other side is the Theater Kolonnade, built in 1839. It is adjacent to theHessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden, built between 1892 and 1894.
St. Bonifatius, the first church for the Catholic community after theReformation, was built from 1845 until 1849 by Philipp Hoffmann inGothic Revival style and dedicated toSaint Boniface.
The Russian OrthodoxChurch of Saint Elizabeth, calledGriechische Kapelle (Greek chapel) locally, was built on theNeroberg from 1847 to 1855 by Duke Adolf of Nassau on the occasion of the early death of his wifeElizabeth Mikhailovna, who died in childbirth. The architect was again Philipp Hoffmann.
The Warmer Damm park is a 4.5 hectare park on the east side of Wilhelmstrasse and south of the State theater and Kurhaus which features a lake, a fountain, various statues, and large grassy areas. The park was created in 1859-1860 and is named after the medieval fortifications around a pond into which the warm waters of the town's 26 warm springs flowed.[23]
Another building from the regency of Duke Wilhelm is the Luisenplatz, a square named for the Duke's first wife. It is surrounded byNeoclassicist buildings, and in the middle of the square is theWaterlooObelisk, commemorating the 683 Nassauers who died on 18 June 1815 nearHougoumont Farm in the respective battle againstNapoleon.[24] Apart from the palace in the center, the ducal family had a large palace on the banks of the Rhine, known asSchloss Biebrich. Thisbaroque building was erected in the first half of the 18th century.
Other churches are theBergkirche, completed in 1879 in Gothic Revival style, and theLutherkirche, finished in 1910 inJugendstil. The churchMariä Heimsuchung is a tall concrete landmark in the Kohlheck suburb.
Oriental Christianity is also represented with the St. IsaiahSyriac Orthodox Church on the Willi-Juppe-Straße in Dotzheim, built in 2016 byAssyrians. Although the majority of Assyrians in Wiesbaden are Syriac Orthodox,[25] theAssyrian Church of the East also has a congregation located in the city.[26]
The city of Wiesbaden is divided into 26 boroughs: five in the central city and 21 suburban districts. The 21 suburban districts were incorporated in four phases from 1926 to 1977. The former Mainz suburbs on the right bank of river Rhine viz. Amöneburg, Kastel and Kostheim have belonged to Wiesbaden since 1945.
Population size may be affected by changes in administrative divisions.
Wiesbaden has a population of about 280,000. In 1946, when Wiesbaden became the capital ofHesse state, it had a population of about 188,000. At that time, Wiesbaden was a part ofAmerican occupied zone and parts of the city ofMainz, which was the right side on theRhine river, became a part of Wiesbaden. In 1950s many Americans came to Wiesbaden due to its jobs by military bases. Many people who work inFrankfurt live in Wiesbaden due to its high rent of the city. Wiesbaden is one of the most international cities in Germany with people from over 180 countries.
List of largest groups of foreign residents of Wiesbaden:[53]
The administrative structure of Wiesbaden is based on the Hessian municipal code, as last amended in 2006.[56] The Wiesbaden City Council (Stadtverordnetenversammlung) governs the city alongside the Mayor. The most recent city council election was held on 14 March 2021. Following the election, the coalition negotiations resulted in an agreement between Alliance 90/The Greens (Grüne), the Social Democratic Party (SPD), The Left, and Volt Germany.[57] These 42 votes allowed the Greens, who came second in the popular vote, to keep the CDU, who had come in first, out of the governing majority. The full results of the election were as follows:
TheBundesautobahn 643 (A 643) is mainly a commuter motorway which starts in the south of the city centre, runs through the southern part of Wiesbaden crosses the Rhine via theSchierstein Bridge and connect in the northwestern part ofMainz to the A60. TheBundesautobahn 671 (A 671) is a very short motorway in the southeastern part of Wiesbaden which primarily serves as a fast connection between the city centre and theBundesautobahn 60 to serve the cities likeRüsselsheim, Darmstadt and theRhine-Neckar region (Mannheim, Ludwigshafen and Heidelberg).
The downtown area is bordered on the north side by Taunusstrasse, which has once featured many antique stores.[58] The east side is constrained by Wilhelmstrasse, created by Christian Zais. This 1,000 meter-long street is named after Duke William of Nassau (German Wilhelm), not Emperor Wilhelm II, as many mistakenly believe.[59]
The streets of central Wiesbaden are regularly congested with cars during rush hour. Besides some areas, especially theRingroad and not directly in the centre, and the southern arterial roads like theMainzer Straße,Biebricher Allee andSchiersteiner Straße.
Wiesbaden is connected to the FrankfurtS-Bahn network and served by three lines () which connect Wiesbaden with the densely populatedRhine Main Region. All routes have an at least 30 minute service during the day, in the rush hour partially every 15 minutes schedule. It provides access to nearby cities such asMainz,Rüsselsheim, Frankfurt,Hanau, andOffenbach am Main, and smaller towns that are on the way.
Bus
The city's public transportation serviceESWE Verkehr connects all city districts to downtown by 45 bus lines in the daytime and 9 bus lines in the night. Five more bus lines, operated by the public transportation service of the city of Mainz, connects Wiesbaden's districtsKastel andKostheim to Mainz downtown.
The airport can be reached by car or train and has two railway stations, one for regional and one for long-distance traffic. TheS-Bahn lines S8 and S9 (directionOffenbach Ost orHanau Hbf) departing at theregional train station take 30 minutes from the airport to Wiesbaden Central Station, theICE trains departing at thelong-distance railway station take also 30 minutes to the central station.
Despite the name, Frankfurt Hahn Airport (Flughafen Frankfurt-Hahn) is not located anywhere near Frankfurt but is instead situated approximately 100 km (62 mi) from the city inLautzenhausen (Rhineland-Palatinate). Hahn Airport was a major base forlow-cost carrierRyanair. This airport can be reached by car or bus. The nearest train station is inTraben-Trarbach, it is ca. 17 km (11 mi) from the airport, on foot. The roads are not lit.
Lucius D. Clay Kaserne (formerly Wiesbaden Army Airfield or WAAF) is located adjacent to Wiesbaden-Erbenheim and is home to theUS Army in Europe (USAREUR) headquarters, the 2nd Signal Brigade and the 66th Military Intelligence Brigade. The airfield was one of the points of origin for flights to Berlin in support of Operation Vittles (the Berlin airlift) during theSoviet blockade of Berlin. General Clay, the commander of the US occupation zone in Germany, was the architect of the airlift.
The United States Army runs a garrison in Wiesbaden. The facilities for US soldiers and families are spread across various locations including: Aukamn, Hainerberg, Mainz-Kastel and the Wiesbaden Army-Airfield, where the names of the streets are named after servicemen and women who sacrificed their lives during the Berlin Airlift.[61]
At approximately €77,500, Wiesbaden has the second largest gross domestic product per inhabitant in Hesse, after Frankfurt, making it one of the richest cities in Germany. The purchasing power per inhabitant is €22,500.[citation needed]
The International May Festival is an annual arts festival presented by theHessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden every May. Established in 1896, it is one of the most distinguished international theatre and music festivals in the world. The festival features performances of plays, musicals, operas, and ballets. Concerts from a wide array of music are featured, as are artistic circus acts and modern dance presentations. Lectures, recitals, cabaret performances, and readings are also featured.[62]
The wines and sparkling wines of the closeRheingau are presented annually at the ten-day festival in August,Rheingauer Weinwoche (Rheingau Wine Week) around the Wiesbaden City Hall, on the Schlossplatz (Palace Square), the squareDern'sches Gelände and in the pedestrian area. At 118 booths, Rheingau and Wiesbaden vintners offer their wine and sparkling wine and invite to discover the already well known and favored, but also new vintages. Every year thousands of visitors use this opportunity to get acquainted with Rheingau Riesling wines and all their various facets and flavors. Regional specialities compatible with the wines are offered as well. A diversified musical program entertains the wine festival guests. Initiated more than 30 years ago by the Rheingau vintners, this wine festival has a long tradition.
Wiesbaden's Sternschnuppenmarkt is located at the centralSchlossplatz and the neighbouring streets of theparliamentary building,old town hall, andmarket church. The Sternschnuppenmarkt takes place from the end of November until 23 December every year and is open from Monday until Thursday 10:30 – 9:00 pm, Friday and Saturday 10:30 – 9:30 pm, and Sunday 12:00 – 9:00 pm.
The market is related to the city arms of Wiesbaden: the colours blue and gold and the three lilies are characteristic. Four gates and an illuminated floral roof symbolizingFleur-de-lis, consisting of twelve over ten metre high and twelve metre wide luminous lilies, emboss the Sternschnuppenmarkt.
Over 110 booths are decorated in oriental style, coloured blue and gold, offering Christmas style goods, arts and crafts as well as nostalgic carousels and a toy train. A Christmas tree more than 28 metres (92 feet) tall is decorated with 1000 blue and golden ties, 2500 electric bulbs and 30 flash bulbs. The nativity scene displays life-sized wooden figures.
From the beginning in 1988 theRheingau Musik Festival has staged summer concerts in theMarktkirche and in the concert hall of theKurhaus now named Friedrich-von-Thiersch-Saal.
AWrocław Dwarf celebrating the 25th anniversary of the partnership between Wiesbaden and Wrocław
Town twinning between Wiesbaden and other cities began withKlagenfurt in 1930, one of the first town-twinnings in Germany. Wiesbaden istwinned with:[63]
Wiesbaden'scoat of arms features threefleurs-de-lys, stylized representations of the city's heraldic symbol, the lily. Theblazon is: "Azure, two and one fleurs-de-lys Or".
Peter Carl Fabergé, fled Russia to Germany, settled first in Bad Homburg and then in Wiesbaden
Mayte Garcia, American belly dancer, actress, author, singer and choreographer, lived in Wiesbaden with her parents. It was here that she met her future husband, the singer Prince, backstage at one of his concert
Alexej von Jawlensky, Russian Expressionist painter, lived there in 1922–1941 and died there
Béla Kéler, Hungarian composer, he lived in Wiesbaden from 1863 until his death in 1882. He led the orchestra of the Second Regiment of the Duke of Nassau (1863–1866), and later also the spa orchestra (1870–1872).
Vladimir Nabokov, Russian novelist, poet, translator and entomologist, writes in his autobiography about his memories of his childhood in Wiesbaden
Washington Roebling, chief engineer of theBrooklyn Bridge, came to Wiesbaden—along with his wife,Emily Warren Roebling—in 1873, hoping that the warm springs would ameliorate the effects of the decompression sickness he suffered as a result of working in caissons of the bridge.[65]
Russian authorFyodor Dostoevsky, who suffered from an acute gambling compulsion, allegedly lost his travelling money in Wiesbaden'sSpielbank casino in 1865. The experience became the inspiration of his 1866 novelThe Gambler (Russian Игрок), set in the fictitious place "Roulettenburg". Some historians have disputed this account, saying thatBad Homburg was the location for Dostoevsky's real-life misfortune.
Mainz, on the opposite side of theRhine, is Wiesbaden's archrival – the two cities are the capitals of their respective Bundesländer, and citizens of both citiesjokingly refer to those on the other one as "living on the wrong side of the river".[citation needed]
In the 1983 American television movieThe Day After, Wiesbaden was the first city to be destroyed by a nuclear weapon during the escalating war betweenNATO andWarsaw Pact forces that eventually leads to a full-scale nuclear exchange between the United States and theSoviet Union.
The historical novel seriesRomanike (2006–2014) by Codex Regius features Wiesbaden in the Roman age, or Aquae Mattiacorum, as one of its main locations.[66]
^The hypothesis of the Heidenmauer being a remainder of an aquaeduct now has been definitely proven wrong. Further reading see: Klee, Margot: Sperrmauer oder Aquädukt? Zur Deutung der Heidenmauer in Wiesbaden. (Blocking wall or aquaeduct. Re. Interpretation of the Heidenmauer in Wiesbaden). In: NA (Nassauische Annalen) 2014. Eck Werner: Ein praefectus Aquen(sium), kein praefectus aqu(a)e. Zur Inschrift CIL XIII 7279 aus Mainz Kastel (A praefectus Aquen(sium), not a praefectus aqu(a)e. Re. Inscription CIL XIII 7279 from Mainz Kastel). In: NA (Nassauische Annalen) 2014.
^Csysz, Walter: Wiesbaden in der Römerzeit. Aalen: Theiss editors, 2000; mentioned by Roman poetMartial: Epigrammata 14, 27.
^Tessin, Georg (1996). Zweng, Christian (ed.).Verzeichnis der Friedensgarnisonen 1932–1939 und Stationierungen im Kriege 1939–1945. Wehrkreise VII–XIII. Verbände und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS im Zweiten Weltkrieg 1939-1945 (in German). Vol. 17. Osnabrück: Biblio Verlag. p. 276.ISBN3764809418.
^abHeinrich-Verlag GmBH (2011).Wiesbaden: For Old Friends and New. Heinrich-Verlag GmBH. p. 80.ISBN978-3-89889-167-7.
^Megargee, Geoffrey P. (2009).The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Encyclopedia of Camps and Ghettos 1933–1945. Volume I. Indiana University Press, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. p. 842.ISBN978-0-253-35328-3.
^The Last Offensive by Charles B. MacDonald, Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 71-183070
^Heinrich-Verlag GmBH (2011).Wiesbaden: For Old Friends and New. Heinrich-Verlag GmBH. p. 10.ISBN978-3-89889-167-7.
^It features a wide variety of businesses from restaurants to hotels to banks.Heinrich-Verlag GmBH (2011).Wiesbaden: For Old Friends and New. Heinrich-Verlag GmBH. p. 11.ISBN978-3-89889-167-7.
^"Partnerstädte".wiesbaden.de (in German). Wiesbaden.Archived from the original on 27 July 2022. Retrieved17 February 2021.
^Strauss, Herbert A.; Röder, Werner; Caplan, Hannah; Radvany, Egon; Möller, Horst; Schneider, Dieter Marc (7 February 2014). "Lazarus-Yafeh, Hava".The Arts, Sciences, and Literature. Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. p. 699.ISBN978-3-11-097027-2.Archived from the original on 18 September 2023. Retrieved2 June 2022.
^Wagner, Erica,Chief Engineer: Washington Roebling, The Man Who Built the Brooklyn Bridge, New York, Bloomsbury, 2017, p.191ff
^The meteorological station observed from 1960 to 1986 is Wiesbaden-Dotzheim, and the meteorological station observed from 1987 to present is Wiesbaden-Auringen.
^The information up to 2007 was retrieved fromDie Wiesbadener Oberbürgermeister seit dem Bau des neuen Rathauses (1886) (The Wiesbaden Mayors since the construction of the new town mayor hall (1886).)[54]
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