A blaze of colour

Baden Baden in the autumn is a vibe. The air gets that specific crispness that makes you want to buy a cashmere scarf and the hills of Black Forest turn a shade of orange that is almost reminiscent of autumn in Canada.

Back in the nineteenth century they called this place the summer capital of Europe because the European elites spent the warmer months here showing off, but there is plenty to do year round.

The A List through the Ages

In the heyday of the 1850s and 1860s the guest list was a literal directory of European power. Queen Victoria stayed at Villa Hohenlohe starting in 1868 and she was such a fan that she kept coming back. Napoleon III was a regular in the mid nineteenth century and he helped cement the city as a den of high fashion and higher stakes. The most legendary guest was Fyodor Dostoevsky who visited in 1867. He lost every single cent he had at the casino and had to write his novel The Gambler in just twenty six days to keep his creditors away.

Today the crowd has shifted. You still see the old European money but now you also see wealthy families from the Gulf states who stay for weeks at a time for medical treatments at clinics like Brenners Park or the Max Grundig. There is also a massive Russian community that has deep roots in the city going back to the days of the Tsars. In the autumn you will mostly bump into opera buffs in fancy coats heading to the theater or hikers in high tech gear ready to tackle the trails.

The Trinkhalle

You cannot miss the Trinkhalle because it is a massive 90 meter long porch right in the center of town. It was built between 1839 and 1842 by the architect Heinrich Hübsch. The main reason to walk the length of the portico is to see the fourteen frescoes by Jakob Götzenberger which were finished in 1845. They tell local legends like the ghost of the castle or the fairy of the lake. Inside you can drink the thermal water from a stone fountain. It is full of salt and minerals and comes out of the ground quite warm. It tastes like lukewarm chicken broth which is an acquired taste to say the least.

The Friedrichsbad

This is the holy grail of spa culture and it was built between 1869 and 1877. The architect was Karl Dernfeld and he was basically told to build the most expensive bath house in the world. He designed it in the Renaissance Revival style and it sits right on top of the original Roman baths. The water comes from the Graf Sprudel spring which is a scorching 68 degrees Celsius at the source before they cool it down for you.

When you go in you follow a strictly timed 17 station ritual. You move from dry heat rooms to steam rooms and then into the pools under that massive central dome. Mark Twain visited in 1878 and famously said that you lose the world here in twenty minutes. Just a heads up that this is a textile free zone which means you are doing the whole circuit completely naked. It feels a bit weird for the first five minutes but after that you are too relaxed to care.

The Festspielhaus

This building is a masterclass in recycling. It opened on April 18 1998 and was designed by Wilhelm Holzbauer. The genius part is the entrance which is actually the old 1904 central train station. They kept the grand ticket hall as the lobby and built a massive 2500 seat modern theater right behind it. It is the second largest opera house in Europe and it is unique because it is privately funded. The acoustics were handled by the experts at Müller BBM and they are so good that the world best orchestras record their albums here. In the autumn the season is in full swing so you might see world class ballet or a massive Wagner opera on the schedule.

The Stourdza Chapel

If you walk up the Michaelsberg hill you will find the Romanian Orthodox Chapel. It was built between 1863 and 1866 by the famous architect Leo von Klenze. Prince Michael Stourdza of Moldavia paid for it because his seventeen year old son died unexpectedly in Paris. It is a stunning building made of white red and brown sandstone. The inside is dripping in gold leaf and icons painted on copper sheets. In the autumn the view from the chapel overlooking the valley is unmatched. The orange trees and the white stone of the chapel make for the best photos in the city.

St. Bernhard

Over in the Weststadt district you have the church of St. Bernhard. It was built between 1911 and 1914 by Johannes Schroth to handle the growing population of the town. It is dedicated to Bernhard II the patron saint of Baden. The style is a mix of everything from Romanesque to Art Nouveau and it feels very solid and grounded compared to the flashy spas. The interior art is in the Beuronese School style which uses very specific geometric patterns and symmetry. It is a quiet and cool place to sit for a minute if the autumn wind gets too chilly.

Practical Information

The Walk: The climb to the Stourdza Chapel is steep. If you are not a fan of hills you can take the 201 bus part of the way up the mountain.

The Casino: If you want to see where Dostoevsky lost his money you need a passport and a jacket to get into the main rooms.

The Spa: If you want the Friedrichsbad experience but you are too shy to be naked check out the Caracalla Therme next door. It is modern and everyone wears swimsuits.

High Stakes and Hot Water: My Autumn in Baden Baden

Musée Gustave Moreau: The House of the Last Symbolist

Palazzo Grimani: The original man cave.