Kurhauskolonnaden Wiesbaden, Spa colonnade in Wiesbaden, Germany
The Kurhauskolonnade in Wiesbaden is a 129-metre-long columned hall, the longest in Europe, built in 1826/27 by Heinrich Jacob Zengerle. Its eastern section now houses the Kleine Spiel of the Spielbank Wiesbaden, the western end holds a restaurant, and the main part is used for events. The southern Theaterkolonnade remains unglazed and contains the main entrance to the Grosses Haus theatre.
Heinrich Jacob Zengerle built the colonnade in 1826/27 as a covered walk to the Cursaal, with shops for spa guests. The northern Alte Kolonnade gained its southern counterpart, the Neue Kolonnade by Carl Faber, in 1839. After the Neues Königliches Hoftheater opened in 1892–94, a neo-baroque central pavilion by Fellner & Helmer was added as the theatre entrance, and the structure became known as the Theaterkolonnade.
The colonnade's name changed with its use: after the Neues Königliches Hoftheater opened in 1892–94 it was called the Theaterkolonnade, and in 1937, when a 1.5 km porcelain-lined pipe brought Kochbrunnen thermal water to a new apse-shaped glass annex, it became the Brunnenkolonnade. The thermal-water outlet is no longer used; the east end now houses the Kleines Spiel of the Spielbank Wiesbaden.
The colonnade runs along the north side of the Bowling Green, the rectangular square with two cascade fountains, and the new Kurhaus (1905–1907) closes the square on the opposite side. The southern Theaterkolonnade stays unglazed and holds the main entrance to the Großes Haus, a passage to the theatre foyer and the entrance to the Kleines Haus and Studio. The eastern part of the Kurhauskolonnade houses the Kleines Spiel of the Spielbank Wiesbaden, while the western head holds a restaurant.
The two long sides of the Bowling Green are closed by near-identical colonnades, but they are not twins: the northern one dates from 1826/27 by Heinrich Jacob Zengerle, its southern counterpart was only added in 1839 by Baurat Carl Faber. The square between them holds two cascade fountains.
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