The Roman bath ruins offer fascinating insights into the bathing culture of Classical Antiquity. Visiting the municipal museum in the Alleehaus is like walking through 2,000 years of Baden-Baden history. Brahms House is the composer's only surviving residence.Ruins of the Roman baths - museum of ancient spa culture
The Romans were the first to appreciate and make use of the hot thermal springs. Situated beneath the market square and the Friedrich thermal baths, the ruins of the Roman baths are now a museum of ancient spa culture. Almost two millennia old, they are among the best-preserved baths in Baden-Württemberg. The Roman walls are still over two metres high in places, and the ruins are so well preserved that visitors can see very clearly how the Romans designed their wall and underfloor heating. Computer and video animation show how the baths would originally have looked. Closed from mid-November to mid-March. Multilingual audio guide.
» www.badruinen.deBaden-Baden municipal museum
The municipal museum has been in its present location in Lichtentaler Allee since 2004. Spread over two floors, it presents exhibits on the history of Baden-Baden from Roman times to the present day, tracing the town's development as a spa and health treatment resort and looking at its heyday as a cosmopolitan spa in the 19th century. The glass pavilion contains many impressive exhibits including large stone monuments, reliefs dating from Roman times and the present day, and late-Gothic portal figures from the town church. There are also special collections such as Bohemian glassware, historical toys and unusual coins and special medals. Closed on Mondays.
» www.bad-bad.deBrahms House
Brahms House in Lichtentaler Allee is the only surviving residence in Germany of the composer Johannes Brahms. The two rooms on the top floor where he lived are now open as a museum. There is still a mysterious aura of creativity here, where the great master committed many of his world-famous compositions to paper during the summer months of 1865-1874. This musical memorial includes Brahms' living quarters and an exhibition room containing many exhibits on the composer and his friend Clara Schumann, the pianist and composer. Open on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Sundays and public holidays. Guided tours available.
» www.brahms-baden-baden.deFrieder Burda Collection
The Frieder Burda museum in the spa gardens in Baden-Baden is a real gem. The museum architecture itself, a unique design by New York architect Richard Meier allowing plenty of daylight to enter the building, is just as fascinating as the art collection it houses. Approximately 500 paintings, drawings, sculptures and objects trace the history of art over the last 100 years. The collection concentrates on Classical Modernism and German Expressionism, with works by Max Beckmann, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and August Macke. The late work by Pablo Picasso is closely related to German Expressionism. American Abstract Expressionism is also featured with Action Painting by Jackson Pollock and works with a meditative character by Clyfford Still and Mark Rothko. Closed on Mondays and on 24 and 31 December. Guided tours are available.
» www.sammlung-frieder-burda.de