Baden-Baden Favorites

Favorite thing: Mark Twain travelled the Black Forest in the 1870 and wrote a book about it, which is 50% travel report and 50% fiction, but 100% entertaining and hilarious: "A Tramp Abroad". I recommend it to all visitors to this region.
Here is Mark Twain's opinion on Baden-Baden:

"Baden-Baden sits in the lap of the hills, and the natural and artificial beauties of the surroundings are combined effectively and charmingly. The level strip of ground which stretches through and beyond the town is laid out in handsome pleasure grounds, shaded by noble trees and adorned at intervals with lofty and sparkling fountain-jets. Thrice a day a fine band makes music in the public promenade before the Conversation House, and in the afternoon and evening that locality is populous with fashionably dressed people of both sexes, who march back and forth past the great music-stand and look very much bored, though they make a show of feeling otherwise. It seems like a rather aimless and stupid existence. A good many of these people are there for a real purpose, however; they are racked with rheumatism, and they are there to stew it out in the hot baths. These invalids looked melancholy enough, limping about on their canes and crutches, and apparently brooding over all sorts of cheerless things. People say that Germany, with her damp stone houses, is the home of rheumatism. If that is so, Providence must have foreseen that it would be so, and therefore filled the land with the healing baths. Perhaps no other country is so generously supplied with medicinal springs as Germany. Some of these baths are good for one ailment, some for another; and again, peculiar ailments are conquered by combining the individual virtues of several different baths. For instance, for some forms of disease, the patient drinks the native hot water of Baden-Baden, with a spoonful of salt from the Carlsbad springs dissolved in it. That is not a dose to be forgotten right away. (...)

It is an inane town, filled with sham, and petty fraud, and snobbery, but the baths are good. I spoke with many people, and they were all agreed in that. I had the twinges of rheumatism unceasingly during three years, but the last one departed after a fortnight's bathing there, and I have never had one since. I fully believe I left my rheumatism in Baden-Baden. Baden-Baden is welcome to it. It was little, but it was all I had to give. I would have preferred to leave something that was catching, but it was not in my power.

There are several hot springs there, and during two thousand years they have poured forth a never-diminishing abundance of the healing water. This water is conducted in pipe to the numerous bath-houses, and is reduced to an endurable temperature by the addition of cold water. The new Friederichsbad is a very large and beautiful building, and in it one may have any sort of bath that has ever been invented, and with all the additions of herbs and drugs that his ailment may need or that the physician of the establishment may consider a useful thing to put into the water."

(A Tramp Abroad, Chapter XXI)

Favorite thing: Very interesting oldtimer show in front of the Kurhaus. Many beautiful and well preserved cars. You can watch a wide range of different models and brands. Some car owners even wear clothes of the same era as their cars are.

Fondest memory: For more details see
www.oldtimer-meeting.de
Next Show will take place from :
10. -12.07.2009

Favorite thing: In case you urgently have to check your email account you could visit the Library . There your find several computers and for a low fee you have access to the internet.

Fondest memory: Address:
Stadbibliothek Baden-Baden
Lange Str. 43 (Shopping lane)
76530 Baden-Baden

Opening hours:
Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday 10:00 a.m to 6:00 p.m
Thursday 1:00 p. m to 7:00 p. m.
Saturday 10:00 a. m. to 2:00 p. m.
Closed on Monday and Sunday

Favorite thing: Tourist Office
Solmsstraße 1
76530 Baden-Baden

- Tel.: +49 (0) 7221 / 275200
- Fax: +49 (0) 7221 / 275202

Internet:
- www.baden-baden.de (different languages)
- www.alemania-turismo.com/pages/city_baden_baden.html (spanish)

Favorite thing: Lichtentaler Allee 8a, Tel.: +49 (0)7221-300763

Open daily except Monday from 11am to 6pm, Wednesday 11am to 8pm. Admission is 5 €, students 3 €, visitors' card holders 4 €..

Fondest memory: www.kunsthalle-baden-baden.de

Favorite thing: At the top of the town near the old market place is this lovely water feature. There were no signs that you could not drink the water but we didn't risk it!

Favorite thing: The river Oos runs through the town and is very well maintained. It is very picturesque with the little bridges crossing it.

Favorite thing: I would live there