Wiesbaden

Wiesbaden (vēs`bä'dən, vĭs`–), city (1994 pop. 270,873), capital of Hesse, central Germany, on the Rhine River, at the southern foot of the Taunus Mts. The city, an industrial center and a market for Rhine wines, is one of the most famous spas of Europe. Manufactures include metal goods, concrete products, and printed materials. There are also motion picture and television studios and publishing houses. Wiesbaden was founded as a Celtic settlement in the 3d cent. B.C. In the 1st and 2d cent. A.D. it was a popular Roman spa known as Aquae Mattiacorum; there are remains of the Roman water conduits and walls. It later became a free imperial city and passed to the county (later duchy) of Nassau in 1281. In 1806 the city was made the capital of Nassau and with it passed to Prussia in 1866. After World War I, Wiesbaden was the seat (1918–29) of the Allied Rhineland Commission. Noteworthy buildings in the city include the castle (1837–41), the Kurhaus (1905–7), and the State Theater of Hesse (1892–94).

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Wiesbaden

City (pop., 2002 est.: 271,276), capital of Hesse, southern Germany. It is situated on the Rhine River. The Romans fortified it in the 1st century AD; it has been noted since then for its hot saline springs. Made an imperial city in 1241, it passed to the counts of Nassau in 1255. It was capital of the duchy of Nassau from 1806 to 1866, when it passed to Prussia. After World War I it was the seat of the Rhineland Commission under French and British occupation (1918–29). In 1946 Wiesbaden became the capital of the newly created state of Hesse. It was particularly noted for its spa in the 18th and 19th centuries, when it was frequented by Johann W. von Goethe, Johannes Brahms, and Fyodor Dostoyevsky. It continues to be a popular resort. It has printing firms, publishing houses, and film studios, and it is noted for its Sekt (sparkling wine).

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Wiesbaden

a city in W Germany, capital of Hesse state: a spa resort since Roman times. Pop.: 271 995 (2003 est.)