Discover Germany, Issue 44, November 2016

Page 90

Discover Germany | Special Theme | Christmas Time in Germany

Bad Homburg’s enchanted Christmas You may have been to Frankfurt am Main. But have you heard of its charming little neighbour Bad Homburg? Well, you should! Just minutes away from downtown Frankfurt lies a multifaceted jewel with a great deal to offer.

Landgraves strolled down the paths at the well-kept gardens. Take a museum tour and enjoy a hot chocolate in the charming castle café.

TEXT: SILKE HENKELE I PHOTOS: WWW.BAD-HOMBURG-TOURISMUS.DE

Bad Homburg may not be as big as Frankfurt am Main, but nestled within the beautiful countryside of the Taunus Mountains, with the UNESCO World Heritage Site LIMES and its Saalburg Castle right at its backyard, Bad Homburg not only is a historic gem but also a modern spa town that beautifully links old tradition and modernity. Celebrities in Bad Homburg Bad Homburg’s charm has never eluded the rich, famous and beautiful. In the olden days, Bad Homburg was visited regularly by European gentry and crowned heads in search of divertissement and respite from their busy lives. The German emperors 90 | Issue 44 | November 2016

paid regular visits to the spa town they had elected as summer residence. Famous poets like Hölderlin, Goethe, Gogol, Eliot, Stephenson or Oscar Wilde were regular visitors and the famous Russian writer Fjodor Dostojewksi even used a game of roulette played in Bad Homburg’s famous casino as material for his opus ‘The Gambler’. Things to do Climb the top of Bad Homburg castle’s White Tower and overlook the old town, the Taunus hills and get a glimpse of Frankfurt’s impressive skyline. Soak in the spirit of former times when Kings and

The sweeping Kurpark, laid out in 1854 by the grand landscape gardener Peter Josef Lenné, and its mineral springs are an invitation to spend some pleasant and relaxing strolls through historic Bad Homburg. The impressive KaiserWilhelms-Bad, built in 1890, had already been visited by Prince Albert and former Reichskanzler (Reich Chancellor) Otto von Bismarck. Today it is home to the luxury Kur-Royal Day Spa, an ideal place to pass an idle spa day in perfect relaxation. Quaint cafés and restaurants certainly meet the tastes of even the most critical gourmets. Small and charming little specialist shops as well as big brands like Boss, Baldessarini or Michael Kors are


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