That Other Germany 5 – Spa Town Baden –Baden

Alexandra Platz in the centre of town is where the buses stop. That's the Baden -Baden Casino on the left

Although I had now passed through Baden -Baden a few times, I hadn’t really stopped to have a look at it as I was usually hurrying to catch another bus. The weather channel had predicted a change on my last day anyway, so I thought that would be a good time to have a look around and to visit one of the galleries I had wanted to see.

No – one I knew had ever been to Baden -Baden, which I thought was rather odd, given that it was a well – known spa town and not too far away. When they said, “No, they hadn’t," they usually did so, with a slight sniff of disapproval. Do I detect a Calvinistic streak in this part of of the world which frowns on excessive indulgence or conspicuous displays of wealth?  I’d noticed a similar expression when my cousin and I were passing through Metzingen near Bad Urach. Apparently the latter is now a major Factory Outlet for big international brands such as Hugo Boss and full of wealthy international visitors - or wannabes, hoping to pick up a bargain. 

The Oos flows through the middle of the park

On my brief encounters with the city of Baden – Baden, I did find it rather aloof and sure of itself – ‘arrogant’ was the way one person put it - and certainly not in need of my humble business. I’m not quite sure what gave me that impression. Perhaps it was the treatment in the Transport Information Centre the day before, or the uncomfortable humps you had to sit on if you wanted to sit in the park? Maybe it was the sign on a footway that led around a hotel which butted onto the park, which said something like “Don’t use this footpath unless you are staying at this hotel.” 

When I again ventured into the Transport Information Office to ask if there was a place where I could leave my suitcase, so I wouldn’t have to drag it all over town, there was a curt and resounding, “No!”  Everywhere there was the sense that you were stuck behind a glass window pane and you could look but not touch. 

There's an equally imposing Museum on the other side

Yes, Baden – Baden (pop. Around 74,000) has reason to be proud. Back in the 8th Century even the Romans had appreciated its thermal springs, but it really got a boost in the C19th when “Taking the Waters” became hugely fashionable among the elite.  In 2021 Baden – Baden became the 11th City to be recognised in UNESCOs list of “Great Spa Towns of Europe” * which also includes the likes of Bath in the UK, Vichy in France and Montecantini Terme in Italy.

 In addition to having bathhouses, they usually have lavish gardens to complement “the cure” and places of entertainment such as theatres and casinos. Baden – Baden certainly has those, including one of the largest concert halls in Germany. Their ornamentation hints at a place of wealth and indulgence not seen since the 1930s. Not that Baden- Baden seems to have suffered much as a result of the Depression. Nor did it experience destruction during World Wars I and II.  

The bus from Gaggenau stops on the edge of Alexandra Platz in the centre of town which is a nicely laid out park with a fountain and a pond  and is flanked on the Western side by the Casino, hotels, restaurants and shops. On the Eastern side over the Oos, a small river, there was the Museum and the Frieder Burda Gallery which I had come to see. 

The big hotel on my left as I crossed the park was hosting an International Reinsurance Conference. Although attendees -identifiable by their lanyards, dressed semi -casually with the open – necked shirts and no ties, you could see by the cut of their suits, that they hadn’t bought them at K – Mart. 

Elegant people walked elegant dogs, just like they did in the leafier parts of Lisbon, the only difference being that there was still a bit of a nod to the city’s status as a health resort in the form of a  big Naturopathic pharmacy and a little shop that sold trusses and support stockings. Some people hurried by purposefully. Others sauntered nonchalantly, but all seemed to be totally absorbed in their own lives. 

The Lichterallee looked lovely in its autumn colours

 No -one paused to say “G’day,” or “Nice day, innit?“ as they might in some other places, even if you happened to be sitting next to them on one of the seats. It made me want to shake someone. Shout at them. “Didn’t they know the world was burning? That children were dying in Gaza? Or that little old ladies were shivering because they couldn’t afford to put the heat on?

When I mentioned this later to a German friend, he said, “What did you expect? There are more millionaires per square inch in this town than there are anywhere in Germany.” 

Not that that's a problem in itself. Millionaires are often very nice people just like the rest of us, but the degree of respect I have for them will depend on how they became so and what they do with their wealth. Did they have to exploit others or destroy the environment to get there? Were they slumlords, arms dealers, private prison operators or did they sell sugar -laden sweets to little children? Did they win the lottery or merely inherit their wealth, or were they inventive and gave the world something unique and necessary?

I was thinking too about what the bus driver had said about the Mummelsee and I thought the same might be true of Baden – Baden. The world might burn, the economy might go under, the lights might go out, but these would be the last people to feel it, but perhaps I judge the citizens of Baden – Baden too harshly. It’s not as if I have spoken to many of them. 

Meanwhile, I sauntered as nonchalantly as I could while dragging my suitcase - I had to catch the train later, across the river to the Frieder Burda Museum. It wasn’t quite what I expected. I had always been a secret admirer of Aenne Burda, his wife, to whom he had dedicated the museum. She had been the woman behind the Burda Fashion Magazine which included patterns you could trace out and sew, so that ordinary housewives and factory workers too could look like well -dressed stars and models by sewing their own clothes at home.

Business leaders saw her as part of Germany’s post war economic miracle. Feminists understood that she had managed to break through all kinds of barriers against women in business and being in charge of their own affairs and even socialists may have drawn some comfort from the fact that she had risen from very humble beginnings as a railway worker’s daughter to a woman of wealth and influence.

Let’s not forget either that she was a very hard worker and an astute business woman as well as being very charming and determined to get her own way, no matter what it took. She also arrived on the scene at exactly the right time, when a defeated Germany and the rest of world was rising from the bleakness and austerity of the post war era. People were hungry for a bit of glamour and colour – affordable glamour, that is.

You can see a bit about her below. I think I saw the full movie on Netflix, so check there if you want to see more. She broke other barriers for women in her private life as well, but you’ll have to watch the movie to find out.

In the 60s and 70s, I too eagerly awaited her magazines in Australia and even made some of the clothes, not realising then that if you are short and round, you were never going to look like something that had stepped out of Vogue. However, the dream of attainable glamour had not yet died. I did like the way the patterns had much more finely calibrated sizes than any we could buy in Australia.

I rather expected that the museum would be about her, about the changing face of fashion or perhaps the magazine, but no, it featured a variety of modern artists in a very modern building whose theme was ‘I Hear the Whisper of Nature.'

The building itself, unadorned as it was, was a work of art in itself. Pride of place was given to a gigantic installation by Brazilian Artist, Ernesto Neto, who had created a spiderous cocoon of colourful webs which the public was invited to enter and experience with all its senses. 

Praising nature, interpreting nature and creating awareness of nature were all noble and timely pursuits, but while artists were busily trying to bring nature indoors, real live nature could be seen nicely framed, through the windows. It reminded me of a cartoon by whimsical Aussie artist, Michael Leuning,** which depicted a man showing his son the wonder of the sunrise on television while the real sunrise was on full display outside. The power went out while I was watching an animated sequence. 

Part of Ernesto Neto's massive installation - you are invited inside to feel, hear, touch and smell

Bianca Bondi brings the outdoors in...

...and combines parts of her mixed heritage with elements of black magic

An invitation to disappear is a mesmerising installation - Apologies for forgetting to note the name of its creator 

Living nature beckons outside

Much as I would liked to have visited one of those elegant spas now, there wasn’t much time left before I had to start looking for the bus to get to the station and submitting myself yet again to the rigours of public transport. Thank you to the kind person who lugged my suitcase up the three flights of stairs at Karlsruhe and the young lady who offered to carry it at Plochingen, after yet another change of schedule.  

Autumn crocuses in the park on the way to the bus stop

A Better Tourism Experience 

I'm pretty sure that Baden -Baden has no need of tourist advice from me, but on the off -chance it did want to appeal to a wider audience, or maybe a younger one, perhaps it should lighten up a bit - maybe have buskers in the park or a big Oompah Oompah Band in the street. Young, up and coming artists could exhibit free of charge in places such as hotel lobbies and public parks. They would garner wider recognition and the city would gain more life and colour.

I personally found the admission to the one gallery I visited rather expensive and therefore did not visit other attractions. Perhaps if there were seniors' or student concessions, as we have in Australia and many other countries, more people would be able to visit more places. St. Petersburg's Hermitage Museum in Russia for example, has one day a month which is free. Yes, the queues are long, but it means that even those on low incomes are able to enjoy the arts and a little of what the city has to offer.

Tasmania's world famous MONA museum, recognising the income disparity between Tasmanians and visitors, allows residents to enter free of charge. It is also a good business decision, in that a high proportion of visitors to Tasmania are family and friends, so if they allow Tasmanians in free, there's a good chance that they will bring paying guests with them. It also makes them proud of their city and more familiar with what it has to offer, which they may not be otherwise.

A Friendlier Face 

The Transit Information Bureau having it's back to the the travelling public is not a good start. It took me two days before I discovered the entrance. I would also recommend getting more knowledgeable and more enthusiastic people -like the bus driver I had the previous day, in those frontline tourist positions, such as the train stations or the bus depot. First encounters colour your whole experience as you can see from the above. I had a pretty terrible one at Santa Apolonia Station in Lisbon too. Though it did actually have an information counter, the young woman behind the counter could barely be bothered looking up from her book and the only brochures were about a performance of some kind. By contrast, a lady in Lisbon's underground Metro information office, practically leapt over the counter to help when she saw me struggle with the ticket machine.

Perhaps students -especially hospitality and tourism students, should be doing a stint of practical work as part of their courses. Canada does this to great effect with students guiding visitors at all popular attractions such as the Athabasca Glacier or Head Smashed -In sites. Canada understands the contribution which tourism makes to its economy. Before the pandemic it contributed $43.7 billion to its GDP and directly employed 4% of its workforce. 

Melbourne also has an excellent Greeter's Service. Volunteers- in bright red jackets and often with language skills, welcome visitors at tourist hubs and ask them what kinds of things they'd like to see. The perks for volunteers, apart from meeting lots of interesting people from around the world (my sister has made some lifelong friends that way), include dinner with the Lord Mayor and a preview of all new attractions. How can they guide visitors there if they don't know what's there? I'm sure those first impressions also helped to establish Melbourne as one of the world's Most Liveable Cities, a title it held for 7 consecutive years.

Places like Lisbon and Valparaiso (Chile) have volunteer guides who do tours in return for tips from visitors. They should be paid by hotels, restaurants or the city, because they are exactly the kind of thing which makes people want to stay longer and gain a deeper understanding of the places they visit.

Although much accommodation booking is now done online and before arrival, I still remember how grateful I was when arriving in a strange country - my first visit to London, tired and bedraggled after 19 hours of flying, to discover a friendly accommodation booking service right at the Airport, after plane delays prevented us reaching our planned destination. 

These are just a few ways in which not just Baden -Baden but other destinations could make visitors feel more welcome, want to stay longer or come again. Believe me, they tell their friends. Not that we want things as crazy as Amsterdam or Venice, but a nice balance where you don't just feel like just a cash cow. It is also a way in which currently less popular destinations can gain advantage over their competitors. 

By the way, if Stuttgart wants to be an international transit centre, it must put some of those uniformed station officials in the subway between the underground and the bus station and the main station to direct the traffic. I followed another lady and ended up on the wrong side of a very busy road and then had to walk about a kilometre uphill with my luggage to get to the platforms. 

A change machine near the information centre and the ticket machine would also be helpful and shopkeepers wouldn’t need to snarl at passengers when they ask for change. 

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* I would like to nominate Pyatigorsk in Russia as a Great Spa Town of the World, but couldn't find anywhere to nominate it

** Sadly Michael Leunig whose work graced the pages Australia's “The Age" newspaper for over fifty years, passed away on the 19th of December, 2024, but you can still enjoy his witty, whimsical and sometimes caustic work at the Michael Leunig Appreciation Page  on Facebook.

Thank you to Copilot (AI) for help with facts, figures and references.