Germany Guide
The Black Forest
The Kurhaus
Telephone: 07221/35 30
Website: www.kurhaus-baden-baden.de
Nowhere better captures Baden-Baden's aristocratic pretensions than the Kurhaus which almost single-handedly made the town what it is today. Weinbrenner's 1820s centrepiece for his fledgling spa resort is an exercise in restraint, dignity and poise: strictly Neoclassical in style, it is guarded by eight Corinthian columns and set behind a manicured lawn with cheerful flowerbeds.
The Kurhaus interior is far less solemn. In 1855, Edouard Bénazet commissioned Parisian craftsmen to spice up the casino he inherited from father Jacques – the portrait of that first roi de Bade takes pride of place in the casino lobby – fusing Versailles opulence and belle époque glamour in an attempt to outdo both. In its Wintergarten, Second Empire-style fountains shimmer in gilt mosaic, Hsien-Feng porcelain vases line the walls and a gold-trimmed roulette table winks seductively in the light. As striking, the adjacent Roter Saal, ablaze with strawberry silk wall-coverings from Lyon and a riot of gilt trim, is modelled on Versailles, while the Renaissance-style Florentinesaal drips crystal from chandeliers and once rang to concerts by Brahms and Clara Schumann. Small wonder Marlene Dietrich whistled that it was the most beautiful casino in the world. You can marvel at the shameless opulence on twenty-minute tours (daily every 30min; April– Sept: 9.30–11.30am; Oct– March 10–11.30am; €4), but far better to drink in the Bond-movie glamour during the evening shuffle of cards and clatter of roulette balls (daily 2pm onwards; €3; ID required). For women dresses or skirts are obligatory, while men need a jacket and tie (€8 and €3 respectively to rent), and while smart jeans are permitted, sports shoes certainly aren't. Minimum stakes begin at €2, but night owls can watch Saudi sheiks play the final hand of baccarat around 5am, when all stake limits (usually €25,000) are waived. Needless to say, there's an ATM inside, but beware: an aide to Tsar Nicolas II arrived in 1902 with twenty million roubles' worth of booty swiped from royal treasure chests and left penniless a week later; and Dostoyevsky is said to have written The Gambler after he lost his shirt here.
The Kurhaus is also a venue for smaller classical concerts and often jazz.