Combine a historic spa with the festive pleasures of a Christmas market and you get the German city of Wiesbaden, capital of the state of Hesse. It’s one of the oldest spa towns on the continent, famed for its waters since Roman times.
On a cold December day, while many were drawn to the market stalls clustered around the towering red-brick Marktkirche and the more modest Landtag, some of us were keeping warm in the Kaiser Friedrich Therme. Fed by one of the many steamy springs that bubble up in the hills surrounding the city, it’s a richly decorated, early 20th century spa that was designed in part to reflect the confidence and wealth of the city. And in that it succeeds. There are friezes and ceramics, elaborate tiles and colourful marble suggesting luxury, refinement and even that Roman past.
In the typical German way, this is a nude bathing establishment. It’s something us more reserved Brits can sometimes struggle with, but with all shapes, sizes and ages catered for in the body department, there is really nothing to be worried about in such places and we’re not exactly newcomers to the nudist thing anyway. We jumped into rooms given over to steam treatments and saunas, cold baths and jacuzzis, and there were plenty of opportunities to just kick back, lie down and clear the mind of distractions. It’s a great place, an unmissable stop on a weekend in the city and a wonderful opportunity to get the skin and sinuses feeling as good as new.
Elsewhere in the city is the Kochbrunnen fountain on Kranzplatz, where more hot, mineral-rich and sulphurous waters bubble to the surface. It’s probably the presence of the spring that led to the area around it becoming one of the most glamorous of Wiesbaden’s districts, home to fancy hotels and grand houses. We ended up there after a walk in the northern suburbs to the historic Nerobergbahn funicular railway, which carries visitors into the hills above the city in the summer months. It’s closed during the winter but the colourful Russian Orthodox Church was visible easily in the woods above us as we walked down through the Nerotal Park, laid out in the late 19th century. Attractively landscaped, the Schwarzbach stream runs through it and there are various memorials, including one to Bismarck.
Wiesbaden city centre doesn’t have an embarrassment of top rank attractions but it’s a pleasant place to walk around. Clustered around the market place is a network of narrow lanes and small squares, lined with interesting shops, restaurants and bars. In one such square is the Bäckerbrunnen, or Baker’s Fountain, yet another spot where the mineral waters emerge from the depths. There’s a stark but striking Holocaust Memorial and, nearby, a few stone memorials from the Roman occupation.
More evidence of Wiesbaden’s wealth is on show at the Kurhaus, a grand edifice that houses a casino and various events and conferences. To the rear we found a modest public park, while out front, set up for the holidays beside the city theatre, was an ice rink.
Somewhat unsurprisingly for me, illness struck during our break, which hindered my enjoyment of it and meant we spent longer in our room at the pleasant Orianen Hotel than I would’ve liked. But we were able to get out and enjoy the busy atmosphere and buzz of the Christmas market, did some window shopping and treated ourselves to glasses of glühwein and various filthy snacks of unimaginable calorific value. We took a ride on a big wheel, propped ourselves up at the outdoor bars and enjoyed the festive music that filled the squares.
Far removed from the excesses of the market was a welcoming bar called Heaven that we found on our first night after a hearty meal in a local back-street restaurant. We arrived just in time for a bizarre game of bingo with a drag queen-cum-DJ-cum-entertainer who, embarrassingly, proceeded to play the whole evening out in English despite us being in a clear minority. After a great evening, we left around midnight laden with a bizarre collection of cheapo prizes. We weren’t the only ones either.
By complete contrast another night saw us doing the cliched German restaurant thing consuming quantities of stodge amid the vaults of the Ratskeller close by the city cathedral. Clearly popular with locals and tourists, it wasn’t exactly relaxing thanks to the stressed-out, over-worked waiters, long waits and excess central heating, but the food was good enough and we left feeling like we didn’t need to eat again until the new year.
Wiesbaden may not be top of the league when it comes to Christmas markets or German city break destinations but it’s good to get away from the obvious and show a bit of love to places off the regular tourist trail…