"Great Spa Towns of Europe" UNESCO World Heritage Site
Baden-Baden as the "Summer Capital of Europe" — Nestled within the Black Forest Nature Park, the city invites you to celebrate, experience, and explore during the early summer season. Below: My personal impressions of Baden-Baden (Photo Gallery).
Baden-Baden: Plan Your Visit with the "zeigmal. App" — Napoleon III, the imperial couple Wilhelm I and Augusta, along with world-famous musicians, poets, writers, and architects—both past and present—have all made, and continue to make, their grand appearances here. (ENGLISH, ITALIANO, FRANÇAIS, DEUTSCH, NEDERLANDS)
Baden-Baden. Life in Baden-Baden is never dull. And in June 2026, the city is set to celebrate in style: Baden-Baden marks its fifth anniversary as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. To commemorate the occasion, a weekend packed with events awaits—culminating in a grand day of festivities. Look forward to fascinating exhibitions, guided tours of the city and its museums, and—last but not least—the brand-new "zeigmal. App." With concerts at the Philharmonic, gourmet evenings, and much more on the agenda—there’s every reason to visit Baden-Baden! Our recommendations: ...June 5–7, 2026: The Grand Festival Weekend celebrating the 5th anniversary as a UNESCO World Heritage Site / "Baden in Music" — A special cabinet exhibition at the Baden-Baden City Museum (June 5 – October 11, 2026) / ...plus, there are even more highlights to discover in Baden-Baden this summer.
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| Baden-Baden Kurhaus, Foto: Helga Waess / Archiv |
Visit and Guided Tour of the World’s Most Beautiful Casino
The Casino is located at the Kurhaus in Baden-Baden. It is Germany’s oldest casino and, according to Marlene Dietrich, “the most beautiful casino in the world.” Guided tours of the opulent rooms are available for 10 euros.
From June 8 to 10, 2026, Casino Baden-Baden will host the European Dealer Championship (EDC), featuring croupiers from across Europe...
www.casino-baden-baden.de
“VANITAS – The Beauty of the Ephemeral” at Museum LA8
... on the Lichtentaler Allee in Baden-Baden, running until September 20, 2026: “VANITAS: The Beauty of the Ephemeral”—an exhibition of contemporary art.
www.museum.la8.de
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| Kurpark von Baden-Baden im Sommer , Foto Helga Waess (Archiv) |
Rose Concerts – Where Music Meets Blooms
The New Rose Garden in Baden-Baden has been awarded the "Award of Garden Excellence" by the World Federation of Rose Societies.
The Rose Concerts, performed by the Baden-Baden Philharmonic, will take place in June—precisely when the roses are in full bloom.
The musical themes have been selected to match the occasion:
- "Viva l’Opera" on June 19,
- "Enchanting Pan Flute" on June 20,
- "Best of Ballet" on June 26,
- and "Slavic Romanticism" on June 27, 2026.
Additionally, the winning new rose varieties will be crowned during the 74th Baden-Baden New Rose Competition.
Concert tickets: www.baden-baden.com
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| Baden-Baden: The "Maxim" and fountain in the park - Photo: Helga Waess / Archive |
SUNDOWNER with a View over the Rhine Plain at Weingut Kopp
The world of grapevines—that is what Weingut Kopp represents in Baden-Baden.
The estate has been awarded the "Weinsüden Architektur" quality seal; here, visitors can savor the architecture, the wine, and the excellent cuisine of the restaurant Ebanat.
From early summer until the beginning of September, the "SUNDOWNER" event takes place at the winery every other Tuesday—offering live music, exquisite wines, and culinary delicacies to delight the senses.
www.weingut-kopp.com
On the Wilderness Trail with a National Park Ranger
In the Black Forest National Park—a 113-square-kilometer protected zone situated between Baden-Baden and Freudenstadt—NATURE can be experienced firsthand. A variety of adventure trails within the National Park and the Baden-Baden municipal forest delight visitors.
The guided tour with a National Park Ranger on June 7, 2026:
leads along a narrow path, winding through deadwood, roots, and stones... This three-hour ranger tour begins at 9:30 a.m. at the Plättig bus stop.
Registration: www.nationalpark-schwarzwald.de
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| Kurpark in Baden-Baden, Foto: Helga Waess (Archiv) |
With the "zeigmal. App" – Discover Baden-Baden – Digitally, Interactively, and Around the Clock
The "zeigmal. App" combines classic city tour content with modern technology; an integrated GPS function serves as your digital travel guide...
Further information: www.baden-baden.com/zeigmal
Whether one stayed here for a spa cure, wanted to visit the casino, simply wished to see and be seen, or sought to savor the *Dolce Vita* of this famous resort town—everyone met in Baden-Baden.
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| Baden-Baden Maxim und Springbrunnen im Park, Foto: Helga Waess / Archiv |
My Personal Impression:
Baden-Baden
A city always worth the trip. The spa park (*Kurpark*), the city itself, and the many stately hotels still allow one to recapture the flair of bygone eras.
Guests, Locals, the Old and New Rich—Famous Painters, Musicians, and Poets
Far removed from the realities of the outside world—whether political or social—figures such as Napoleon III, the Imperial couple Wilhelm I and Augusta, as well as world-famous musicians, poets, writers, and architects, gathered here for social rendezvous. In contemporary paintings, artists of the era captured how life here presented itself from its most refined side.
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| Baden-Baden Augustaplatz mit der Büste des Komponisten Wilhelm Furtwängler, Foto: Helga Waess / Archiv |
Spa Park – Landscape – The Idyll of Baden-Baden
Time and again, Baden-Baden serves as a setting for novels and a subject for painters. Gustave Courbet captures the idyllic landscape; Otto von Türkheim depicts a horse-drawn carriage carrying an elegant lady as it glides through the tree-lined avenue; and Heinrich Hoffman captures the gaze of a lady as it sweeps across the city, resting upon the Angel Monument.
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| Horse-drawn carriage in the Spa Park of Baden-Baden, Photo: Helga Waess (Archive) |
The landscape gardener Hermann, Prince of Pückler-Muskau, left behind evocative views of the parklands, while Johann Wilhelm Schirmer captured the sun rising over the Geroldsau Valley near Baden-Baden.
Just as in Wiesbaden, Karlsbad, or Bad Ems, "taking the cure" became a fashionable trend—one that evolved to take on the air of social display characteristic of a specific class. The top hats, the evening gowns, and the very bearing of these ladies of high society—everything is reflected in paintings depicting a society in full "performance mode."
And people would discuss whom they expected to encounter once again. Noble families, bankers, and the haute bourgeoisie lent an additional luster to the town and its luxury hotels. Johannes Brahms, Clara Schumann—who herself made her home in Baden-Baden—Fyodor Dostoevsky, and Leo Tolstoy: everyone met in Baden-Baden.
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| Baden-Baden Kurpark mit Büste der Kaiserin Auguste, Foto: Helga Waess / Archiv |
