"Bad Homburg is the world's most beautiful city!"
This statement is often heard about the spa town of some 55,000 inhabitants, which is scenically nestled between the metropolis of Frankfurt and the wonderful Taunus low mountain range. Here, tradition meets modernity on almost every corner. The city also offers visitors a colourful cultural programme that is well worth experiencing.
The predominant colour of Bad Homburg's cityscape is green, thanks to the beautiful parks set in the heart of the city centre. First and foremost, there is the "Kurpark", or spa gardens, which were laid out in 1856 by the renowned Royal Prussian horticultural director, Peter Joseph Lenné and invite visitors to long, relaxed walks at any time of year. Highlights of the spa gardens include the Kaiser Wilhelm Baths, built at the end of the 19th century, the time-honoured golf course dating from 1889 (making it the oldest golf course in Germany) and, of course, the casino, where the famous Russian author, Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky, once tried his luck. Today, Bad Homburg Casino combines exciting gaming pleasure with sophisticated evening entertainment. Not far from the spa gardens, one finds the city's second large park, the "Schlosspark", or castle gardens, which envelop the old Landgrave's Castle. Many famous contemporaries lived within the historical walls (built from 1679 to 1686 on the grounds of the former mediaeval castle). The German poet, Friedrich Hölderlin, for example, worked here as court librarian and the imperial family had chosen Bad Homburg and the castle as their summer residence. And so the very last fully furnished imperial appartments on German soil are also to be found in Bad Homburg's Landgrave's Castle. Finally, we come to one of the city's most celebrated former residents and one of Germany's greatest poets, Friedrich Hölderlin, whose 250th birthday Bad Homburg will be celebrating in 2021. As part of the nationwide Hölderlin 2020/21 celebrations, there will be light installations on show all around Bad Homburg Castle lasting several days, while the city centre will be attracting visitors with street art and art installations to make Hölderlin and his work in Bad Homburg tangible for everyone. The annual awarding of the renowned Friedrich Hölderlin Literature Prize on 13 June remains the event series' crowning moment.
While cultural life is still a little bit on ice in many places, it is starting to slowly awaken from its slumber and allow Bad Homburg to blossom once again into its full cultural landscape. Cultural life is, after all, incredibly lively here. Exhibitions, concerts and theatre performances are held at countless venues throughout the year. Highlights radiating far beyond the city's borders include the "Blickachsen" (Points of View) Exhibition, a biennial sculpture show featuring works by renowned artists (returning in 2022), the Bad Homburg Summer, the Fugato Organ Festival (2022), the JAZZT Jazz Days Bad Homburg and the Poetry and Literature Festival, which attracts the stars of the German TV and theatre scene to the city every year for readings. A brand-new sporting highlight joining the city's annual event scene is the WTA grass tournament in Bad Homburg's spa gardens, the Bad Homburg Open, which was first held in 2021. It was in fact Wimbledon that gave the nod to Bad Homburg as the venue for a lead-up tournament to the Grand Slam in London. Background of this new development is the long tradition that links the spa town with tennis. Tennis was first played in Bad Homburg as early as 1874, and two years later the TC Bad Homburg was founded, making it the first tennis club on the European mainland.
As far as other famous attractions go, there's also the Saalburg Roman Fort, situated just outside of town. This 2,000-year-old Roman garrison outpost was rebuilt true to the original some 100 years ago. People of all ages are certain to enjoy a visit, taking them back to the time of the ancient Romans. So what does the ideal day in Bad Homburg look like? Well, start by heading off on a shopping spree down Louisenstraße in the morning, followed by lunch at one of the city's countless restaurants. Next, enjoy a few hours of wellness at the Taunus Thermal Bathhouse or, alternatively, spoil yourself with relaxing spa treatments at the Kur-Royal Day Spa in the Kaiser Wilhelm Baths in the afternoon. Finally, round off the evening with a visit of Bad Homburg Casino.
