Kurhaus Wiesbaden, Concert hall in Nordost, Wiesbaden, Germany
Kurhaus Wiesbaden is a neo-classical festival building of 1907 by Friedrich von Thiersch, split into two equal wings around a foyer under a 21 m dome. The south wing holds the Friedrich von Thiersch Hall, seating 1,350, and the shell-decorated Muschelsaal; the north wing holds the Christian Zais Hall and the casino. Its 128 m west facade ends in an Ionic portico inscribed Aquis Mattiacis.
A first Cursaal, designed by Christian Zais, was completed in 1810 and praised by Goethe. As spa visitors rose from 20,000 in 1840 to ten times that by 1910, the old building was demolished in 1905. Friedrich von Thiersch's neo-classical replacement, costing six million gold marks, opened in 1907; Kaiser Wilhelm II called it the most beautiful spa house in the world.
The casino occupies the former wine hall since 1949, and the smaller hall bears the name of Christian Zais, architect of the 1810 predecessor. Rooms are named after Carl Schuricht, Carl von Ibell, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Ferdinand Hey'l and the emperor; Dostoevsky is said to have drawn inspiration for The Gambler here. The Steinmeyer organ of 1954, with 48 registers and 3,000 pipes, replaced the 1907 Sauer organ destroyed in the war.
The main entrance on the west side opens onto the Bowling Green; the park entrance opposite leads into the Kurpark. The casino's slot machines sit in the 129 m Kurhaus colonnade, while roulette, blackjack and poker are in the north wing. The underground garage built in 2004–06 lies beneath the square.
The Kurhaus colonnade on the north side of the Bowling Green is 129 m long, the longest columned hall in Europe, and houses the slot machines of the Wiesbaden casino. The southern Theater colonnade belongs to the Hessian State Theatre. The plane trees lining the green were felled in 2004–06 for an underground garage and replaced by double rows of young trees.
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