Wiesbaden
"A poet's dream of a region..."

Long before this group, though, the thermal waters were discovered by the Romans. They found these steaming pools had healing effects on them, and the ancient attraction still remains. It began to develop as a resort town in the early nineteenth century, and the European aristocracy came in droves.
The presence, prestige and influence of the cultural elite helped develop an extensive calendar of cultural events (many surviving to this day) and the magnificent structures built to house them. Casinos became popular in Wiesbaden to entertain the royalty, nobility and intellectual elite between dips in the baths and it quickly became one of the leading spa destinations in Europe.
The Heidenmauer (Heathens' Wall) is the city’s oldest structure from Roman times and is found next to the Römertor (Roman Gate). It was part of a Roman stronghold dating back to 240 - 260 A.D. built to ward off attacks from the Germanic tribes. The "Römertor" was built in 1902 with a covered wooden bridge. In the Römisches Freilichtmuseum (Roman Open-Air Museum), next to the "Römertor", there are copies of stone tablets found in Wiesbaden from the Roman era. In the Museum Wiesbaden (Wiesbaden Museum), an extensively renovated art collection and exhibit focuses on the “Roman Era and the Early Middle Ages.”

And, of course, you can’t leave Wiesbaden without experiencing the thermal baths as the Romans did. The Kaiser-Friedrich-Therme (Kaiser Friedrich Thermal Baths), erected in 1913, re-opened to the public in 1999 after extensive restorations. This historic thermal bath is heated by the "Adlerquelle" (Eagle Spring), a hot spring with a temperature of 66°C.