Page 111 - Travel + Leisure India & South Asia (January 2020)
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Getting There
Lufthansa (lufthansa.com) flies to
Frankfurt from India. Wiesbaden is
about 40 km from Frankfurt, and
there are multiple train options to
reach there.
Stay
Hotel Nassauer Hof is a luxury
hotel conveniently located in the
heart of Wiesbaden. From `16,185;
nassauer-hof.de
Other Activities
Take the Nerobergbahn, a
funicular railway comprising two
carriages run by pumping 7,000
litres of water, up to the Neroberg
vineyard for sampling a Riesling.
After a delicious lunch at Opelbad
Restaurant, walk to the Russian
church, built by Duke Adolph of
Nassau in memory of his wife, the
Grand Duchess Elizabeth, who
died giving birth to their child.
Nicholas II, Kennedy, Nixon, Vladimir Putin, and
the Dalai Lama have stayed here.
Dating back to 1813, its Ente Restaurant boasts
a Michelin star. However, I am most interested
in their covered rooftop swimming pool. The
pool is equipped with shower facilities, towels,
comfortable sun decks, and a cafe serving snacks
and juices. Its water comes from the hotel’s
own mineral spring, which bubbles back to the
time of the Romans. This thermal water is rich
in sodium chloride, and contains ammonium,
magnesium, calcium, barium, and aluminium.
Just 20 minutes in the pool is enough to relax me.
The salt water at 32° Celsius helps detox my body
and remove its knots and kinks.
The next day, it is time to explore
Wiesbaden’s architectural gems. The Ringkirche,
or Ring Church, dates back to 1889, and is a
German national monument constructed by
Johannes Otzen. Its architecture exhibits the
TOP: VOLKERPREUSSER/ALAMY; ARCO IMAGES GMBH/ALAMY
transition from Romanesque to Gothic styles. From top: The follows a Neo-Classical style, and the words on
I admire the stately Hessisches Staatstheater Kurhaus is a spa top of its portico read Aquis Mattiacis, which
resort, casino, and
Wiesbaden, a state theatre celebrating its conference means ‘dedicated to the springs of the Mattiaci.’
125 anniversary this year. While its grand complex in Baden- This is another tribute to the centuries-old spa
th
hall follows a Neo-Baroque style, its foyer Baden, Germany culture of Wiesbaden and its 26 springs.
on the outskirts of
has been designed in Rococo style. It has the Black Forest; The colonnade of Kurhaus extends 129
a multi-disciplinary repertoire from opera, Nerobergbahn is a metres and is one of the longest European
contemporary theatre, ballet, and dance theatre funicular railway pillar-supported halls. The building houses the
that comprises two
to uplifting musicals spread across four stages. carriages. city’s casino. As per Imperial Law, the casino
Another grand building called Kurhaus is closed after 1872, but resumed operations in
also nearby. It was built under the patronage of 1949. It was here that the Russian writer Fyodor
Emperor William II and cost almost six million Dostoyevsky gambled his rubles—an event that
marks (approximately three million euros). It led him to write the book, The Gambler.
TR AV E L A NDLE I S U R E IND I A .IN 107
