Baden-Baden

Baden-Baden, the famous and fashionable spa, is downhill all the way north on B-500 from the Mummelsee. The town rests in a wooded valley and is atop the extensive underground hot springs that gave the city its name. Roman legions of the emperor Caracalla discovered the springs and named the area Aquae. The leisure classes of the 19th century rediscovered the bubbling waters, establishing Baden-Baden as the unofficial summer residence of many European royal families. The town's fortunes also rose and fell with gaming: gambling began in the mid-18th century and was banned between 1872 and 1933. Palatial homes and stately villas grace the tree-lined avenues, and the spa tradition continues at the ornate casino and two thermal baths, one historic and luxurious, the other modern and well used by families.

Though some Germans come here for doctor-prescribed treatments, the spa concept also embraces facilities for those just looking for pampering. Shops line several pedestrian streets that eventually climb up toward the old marketplace. Two theaters present frequent ballet performances, plays, and concerts (by the excellent Southwest German Radio Symphony Orchestra). Furthermore, Baden-Baden is turning into a city of delightful museums. Besides the Frieder Burda Museum, a new museum for art and technology called the Kunstmuseum Gehrke-Remund recently opened as well.