Wiesbaden: meadow bath

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Geothermal activity is at the heart of why this city was developed at the time of the Romans.  The early discovery of  hot springs, is the heart of what is today the city of Wiesbaden [which translates into 'meadow bath'].  The Kockbrunnen (hot fountain) was first mentioned in 1366.  From the vantage point of this photo, we could see steam eminating from four different sources.  The temperature of the most famous sodium-chloride thermal spring is 66 degrees centigrade and gushes 346 litres of mineral water per minute.  It was a cold, damp day when we took this picture and the thought of sitting in a hot pool about that time was very appealing.

I have been scanning the internet for places to find world famous artisans of cuckoo clocks.  This one we almost walked by without noticing.  It is a store front and billed as the largest cuckoo clock in the world... a little more than what I need.  Inside the store were a significant collection of finely crafted cuckoo clocks.  They were not cheap, many of them in the range of 300 to 1000 Euros.
This clock was mounted in 1946 and made for a most engaging eye catcher for local shoppers.

The Black Forest is the source of the world's most famous craftsmen in this most fascinating form of art.  Next summer we will take a trip to see some of the factories where they are made and see if our budget can handle a modest clock.  The factories will ship it in a kit form to Canada and thus avoid the 19 percent tax attached to most items.

These are two different vantage points of the same church.  It is called the Lutheran Market Church and was built from 1852-62 as a Gothic Revival Basilica with three naves.  Germany is the home of Marin Luther and his footprint is found throughout Germany.  It is the tallest structure in the city and has a dominating presence.  The statue is of a young William of Orange I.

This church with five golden cupolas was built as a sepulchre for the mortal remains of the wife of Duke Adolf, Grand Duchess Elizabeth Michailovna and her baby.  The Russian Cemetery was laid out in 1856. The famous painter Alexej Jawlensky is buried here next door in the adjoining cemetery.

The attention to detail and the ornate design work in the interior reflect incredible skill and craftsmanship.  The story behind this edifice is a sad one and worth the time to read.  Just follow the link.

I don't think I will tire of seeing the churches here. They have appeal on so many dimensions. To imagine the work and dedication that went into these structures and on the other hand, the sacrifice, speaks to the feelings that generate such devoted attention.  Some clearly are from the well spring of greed and sophistry, while others testify of the spiritual yearnings of earlier times.

Our last stop on this dreary day was to the ruins of a castle called Sonnenburg established around 1200 AD.  A German king resided here in 1292.  Now it is only a shadow of what it once was.  Overcast skies seemed to further add to the stark remains.

Arendje took a number of pictures. I  wondered what she was doing.  She appeared to want to capture the feeling we both felt as we tried to take in the scope of the castle's perimeter.  That was hard to define given development in and around the site.



From a view at the highest point of the ruin next to the keep pictured to the right, we watched a soccer game going on several hundred feet below.  I wonder if scenes like this were repeated through the centuries.

Since the destruction of the castle, houses have been constructed in and against the ruins.  I contemplated on whether the current inhabitants sense the paradox.  They are living in part of a structure that holds so much history behind it.

These pictures of course only represent a small part of what we saw today.  We were both a little cold and wet before we called it a day, but the inclement weather allowed a perspective we might not have acquired otherwise.