What to See in Wiesbaden - Top Sights and Attractions

Neoclassical palace with guided tours. Wiesbaden City Palace is a neo-classical building in the center of Wiesbaden, Germany. It was completed in 1841 as the principal city residence of the Dukes of Nassau. The palace has several wings, 145 rooms, and is architecturally integrated with a group of ancillary buildings constructed both before and after it was built. With ornate towers, gables and a slate roof laid in herringbone patterns, the three-story complex lends charm and its name to the central square of Wiesbaden: Palace Square.

The Palace has had a turbulent history. After withstanding the Revolutions of 1848 and annexation by Prussia in 1866, it has served variously as a second home of the German Emperors, a gathering place for soldiers and workers during the German Revolution of 1918–1919, a museum, and a military headquarters for both the Wehrmacht and Allied occupation forces. Damaged during World War II, the Palace has since been restored and portions modernized. Since 1946 it has been the seat of the State Parliament of Hesse (German: Hessischer Landtag). A new Parliamentary Chamber was added to the complex in 2008.^[6]

State park in Wiesbaden, Germany. The Bowling Green is a park in the Hessian state capital of Wiesbaden.

The Bowling Green is of an elongated rectangle with two pools, one of each in the middle of three shells cascading fountain stands. On the east side the park joins the Kurhausplatz in front of the Kurhaus, Wiesbaden. Close behind the Kurhaus with its famous casino, stretches the Kurpark. On the west side of Bowling Green runs the Wilhelmstrasse. Across the street lies the Kaiser-Friedrich-Platz with the statue of Emperor Frederick III. The place is flanked by the luxury Hotel Nassauer Hof.

The Bowling Green is often used for open-air events for example held concerts by David Gilmour, Leonard Cohen, R.E.M. Sting, Nelly Furtado, Bryan Adams, Plácido Domingo, Lionel Richie, Eric Clapton, Elton John and Herbert Grönemeyer.

In addition, the Bowling Green is a place for special events. Every year in June, occur the Wilhelmstrassen festival, one of the largest street parties in Germany - and every New Year's Eve the largest party in Wiesbaden take place here.^[15]

Arch bridge in Wiesbaden, Germany. The Theodor Heuss Bridge is an arch bridge over the Rhine River connecting the Mainz-Kastel district of Wiesbaden, capital of state Hesse and the Rhineland-Palatinate state capital Mainz. The main span of the bridge is 102.94 meters long. It connects the Bundesstraßes 40 and 455. Initially it was just called “Straßenbrücke”, later it was named after German statesman Theodor Heuss.

The Romans had built a bridge in this region in 27 AD, while the first arch bridge was inaugurated on 30 May 1885. Its construction costs of 3.6 million gold marks were recouped through tolls within three years although tolls continued to be levied until 1912. The bridge was widened from 1931 to 1934 but was destroyed on 17 March 1945 by German military engineers at the end of the second World War. To forestall a second Remagen, the Germans by 19 March had blown all Rhine bridges from Ludwigshafen northward.

It was rebuilt in the years 1948 to 1950 and partially reconstructed between 1992 and 1995 for a cost of 139.5 million marks.^[18]

Historical landmark in Wiesbaden, Germany. Frauenstein Castle is a ruined castle in the town of Wiesbaden-Frauenstein in Hesse, Germany.

It is not known who built Frauenstein Castle, but, based on dendrochronological evidence, its construction has been dated to around 1184. Built on a quartzite outcropping of the Spitzen Stein the castle was not intended as a defensive fortress, but rather as a watch-tower. It also served the tower guards as a dwelling. The construction of the castle with its high walls and battlements gave protection to farmers in the area and led to the emergence of the village of the same name. Later, the castle was extended by a fore-castle with pond, as could be confirmed by excavations in the year 1943.

While the German name Frauen-stein can be translated "women's stone", it actually derives from Vrowenstein, a name which first appears in the historical record in 1221. In that year, a deed names a Heinrich Bodo von Vrowenstein (in 1207/1209, he was mentioned as being from Idstein) as a lord of Frauenstein Castle. In the year 1231, a document of the Erbach monastery mentions a knight by the name of Siegfried von Frauenstein who was a marshal with the bishopric of Mainz. He was a descendant of an aristocratic Schierstein family (which would become extinct in 1380).

Around 1300, Siegfried IV von Frauenstein sold part of the castle, along with surrounding property and its serfs, to Gerhard, the Archbishop of Mainz. Gerhard wanted the castle in order to protect the eastern border of his possessions in the Rheingau against his rival, the Count of Nassau. In May 1301, forces of King Albert of Austria fought against Mainz. They captured all of the fortresses, including Frauenstein, and devastated the Rheingau. The castle was soon restored, however.

In 1310 Johann von Limburg also sold his shares of the castle to the Mainz bishopric so that it had gained full control over the castle by the year 1319. Mainz, however, once again sold parts of the castle so that, by 1390, it possessed only half of the castle. The noble co-owners often settled in Frauenstein and built beautiful half-timbered houses which still stand in the village to the present day.

Over the following centuries, the disputes between Mainz and Nassau continued. Nassau was able to prevent Mainz's possessions in the area from growing by encircling the castle with a chain of five fortified farms: Sommerberg, Rosenkoeppel, Nürnberg, Groroth, and Armada. All of these estates, with the exception of Rosenkoeppel, are still preserved today.

In the second half of the 18th century, the castle lost its significance as border security and was no longer maintained. In the Secularization of 1803, the town was brought under the control of the Count of Nassau and in 1808 the serfs were granted freedom of movement. In 1866, the town - like all of Nassau - came under the control of Prussia.^[19]

Truss bridge in Wiesbaden, Germany. The Kaiserbrücke, today officially the Nordbrücke, is a railway span on the Mainz rail bypass across the Rhine at the north end of Mainz in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Built between 1901 and 1904, it was named for the German Emperor Wilhelm II, who officially opened it on 1 May 1904. It formed an important part of the German railway system, as well as being an important logistical link for war transports.

The bridge was destroyed in 1945 by retreating German troops. To forestall a second Remagen, the Germans by 19 March had blown all Rhine bridges from Ludwigshafen northward.

It was later reopened in 1955 as the Nordbrücke (Northern Bridge), with parts of the surviving foundations and sculptures adorning it incorporated into the new much less grand structure. The neo-roman gate castles were not rebuilt. The former arched trusses were also replaced with box trusses.^[22]

Fountain in Wiesbaden, Germany. The Kochbrunnen in Wiesbaden is the most famous hot spring in city. It is a sodium chloride hot spring. Its name refers to the water temperature of about 66 °C.

The spring in the Kochbrunnenplatz was first mentioned in 1366 as Bryeborn (Brühborn) and 1536 as Syedenborn (Siedeborn). The productivity is about 360 litres every minute. The fountain has well water when exiting, at a temperature of 66.1 °C, smells faintly of hydrogen sulphide and has a strong salty taste. It is clear, but becomes turbid yellowish after 24 hours exposed to the air. The main flow is directed to the processing plant in the Kaiser-Friedrich-Bad. From there it passes into the extensive thermal water system of the city. It is used both for medicinal purposes (including in the hot springs in Aukammtal), as well as to heat the city hall.

Kochbrunnenplatz and neighbouring Kranzplatz host some of the Wiesbaden Grand Hotels: the oldest hotel in Germany, the "Schwarze Bock" founded in 1486; the former "Palace Hotel" – it was the first ever with room phones – and the "Hotel Rose", launched in September 2004 and which now hosts the Hessische Staatskanzlei.^[26]

The Schlossplatz forms the center of the historic Old Town of Wiesbaden, Hesse, Germany. It gets its name from the Stadtschloss, the royal residence of the Dukes of Nassau located on the north side of the square. Other buildings surrounding the Schlossplatz include the Old City Hall, the New Town Hall and the Marktkirche. In the middle of the square stands the Marktbrunnen of 1753. Due to this unique building ensemble, and the fact that at this point medieval Wiesbaden originated, it is historically the most important part of the city. Occasionally it is referred to as the "market square", its name before the palace was built.

The Schloßplatz was officially written as a proper noun using the letter 'ß' in the old German orthography. However, it was also correct to spell the word in new orthography as "Schlossplatz", which it often is.^[28]

Bridge in Wiesbaden, Germany. The Schierstein Bridge is 1,282-meter long, four-lane highway bridge in Germany. It carries Bundesautobahn 643 over the Rhine River between Mainz-Mombach, Rhineland-Palatinate and Wiesbaden-Schierstein, Hesse. Crossing two arms of the Rhine and the intervening island of Rettbergsaue, the bridge is made of six individual structures, including 100 m from prestressed concrete. It was built between 1959 and 1962.

The Schierstein Bridge is located about 5.8 km (3.6 mi) downstream of the Theodor Heuss Bridge. Together with the Theodor Heuss Bridge and the A 60 bridge, it is one of three road bridges across the Rhine at Mainz. It is the last bridge over the Middle Rhine for 80 kilometers (50 mi) downstream, before the Südbrücke in Koblenz.

From mid-February to mid-April 2015 the bridge was closed from all traffic due to extensive structural damage.^[32]