200th anniversary of Kurhaus Baden-Baden
"Summer Capital of Europe" – Baden-Baden was awarded this unofficial title at the beginning of the 19th century. As a result, the number of spa guests increased rapidly within a very short time. The previous Gesellschaftshaus on the market square (in today's town hall) with its spa rooms no longer met the required capacities and high demands of the guests. This was the birth of the Kurhaus Baden-Baden in its present form. It was designed by Karlsruhe master builder Friedrich Weinbrenner in the typical classicist style and built on the site of the promenade house in 1766. After 5 years of construction, the Kurhaus was opened in 1824.
A year to celebrate
In the anniversary year, the responsible staff of the BKV – Bäder und Kurverwaltung created a varied programme to celebrate the extraordinary birthday with the population:
The guests were able to enjoy an ice cream created exclusively for the anniversary by the Kurhaus Eismanufaktur. Informative and unknown facts from the historic building were collected in the "Kurhaus-ABC". The digital version of the small book can be viewed here. More extensive information about the Kurhaus and its history you can read in the new publication "Kurhaus Baden-Baden through the ages" by Dr. Patricia Peschel. A work that was researched and published exclusively for the 200th anniversary.
The historic halls could be seen on the nationwide organized "open monument day 2024". Visitors were able to take a look at the halls on the upper floor, which are otherwise not open to the public. The final highlight concluding the anniversary year was the official ceremony in the Weinbrennersaal.
To mark the anniversary, the Baden-Baden City Museum dedicated a special exhibition to the Kurhaus. "200 years Kurhaus Baden-Baden – The Place to Be" transported visitors back to the glorious times, the years of war, and the years of change, and provided detailed insights into the background of the various renovations.