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Places of interest
1 Kurhaus (Spa House) / baroque bathhouse· Römerstraße 1
A princess of the Nassau-Orange dynasty had her private small bath-palace built
between 1711 and 1720 in the place where in the Middle Ages the medical springs
had already been used. The original spring of the “Kesselbrunen” was to be the
centre of the small palace with its two wings. In the 19th century this bath-palace
even became an imperial and royal holiday domicile. The eastern wing has become
famous as the “Kaiserflügel” (Emperor’s wing) because the later Emperor Wilhelm I
stayed here during his visits to Bad Ems .Today Häcker’s Grand Hotel and the Maharishi Ayurveda health centre are in the spa house.
2 Spring Hall · Römerstraße 1
Today there are three different springs in this columned hall: “Kesselbrunnen”, “Kaiserbrunnen” and the famous “Emser Kränchen”. Here you can stroll with a glass of
spring water in your hands drinking the water sip by sip. This way you cure more
intensively, as strolling in the spring hall is part of the therapy: strolling causes an
equal distribution of the water in the stomach. The water of the medical springs
is free of charge. Access to the Spring hall is possible within hotel opening hours.
3 Robert-Kampe-Sprudel (artesian spring) · Am Robert-Kampe-Sprudel
The spring is close to entering the Guinnesbook of records, as the temperature of its
fountain is 57° C and thus is one of the hottest springs in Germany. If the artesian
spring is in good condition, its fountain will be 8 metres high in summer.
4 Benedetti-Stone & Emser Depeche (telegram) · Platz der Partnerschaften
9 Monument of Emperor Wilhelm I · Römerstraße
19 Malbergbahn (mountain railway)
10 Historic hotel buildings in the Römerstraße
20 Russian Orthodox Church · Wilhelmsallee 12
11 Haus Vier Türme (house with the four towers) · Römerstraße 41-41a
21 Künstlerhaus Schloß Balmoral
(Artists’ House Balmoral Palace) · Villenpromenade 11
The Emperor’s monument in the spa park is a rarity, as it shows Wilhelm I wearing plain
clothes and not a uniform. In 1893 the monument was inaugurated. The relief shows
the Emperor drinking “Emser Kränchen” (mineral spring water) and that in 1887 all three
emperors of the following “three-emperors-year” (1888) stayed in Bad Ems for a cure.
Here a unique series of historic hotel buildings follow one another; a small art history
about the railings of the balconies could be written, too. Still today many houses show by
their names that they were hotels once, like the “Russischer Hof” (house no. 23), in which
not only Russian guests stayed but also the King of Denmark, or the “Englische Hof” (no.
46) with its classical front in which royals stayed, too. The “Schützenhof” was among the
first-class hotels once. The rococo front of the house “Herzog von Leuchtenberg” (no. 40)
was especially splendid. Three fountains from the year 1839 remind that the maids had
to carry the drinking and cleaning water to the hotels before the invention of water pipes.
The baroque building from the late 17th century got its name because of its four cornertowers. Once prominent figures like Carl Maria von Weber and a number of European
kings stayed here. It was the unofficial summer residence of Tsar Alexander II. Next to
it there is the bathhouse, which was built in 1845 and originally had 30 baths which
were fed by the “Neuquelle” (mineral spring). It was used for bathing until the sixties.
It has been renovated lately and houses a restaurant and a theatre today.
The rock in the flower-bed was erected in memory of an incident in European history
that happened in this place. This incident made Bad Ems enter the history books
for ever and is known as “Emser Depesche” (Ems Telegram). This incident led to
the outbreak of the Franco – Prussian War (1870/71). Otto von Bismarck altered the
massage, which reported about the meeting of the French ambassador Benedetti
and King Wilhelm I in this place on 13th July, and thus made it worse. After publishing it the war started.
12 Kur- und Stadtmuseum
(Museum of the Spa and the Town) · Römerstraße 97
5 Spa rooms building with Marble Hall
and Spa Theatre · Römerstraße 8
13 Catholic St. Martin’s Church · Viktoriaallee 28
This architectural masterpiece joins the colonnades, the spa café, the Marble Hall,
the Spa Theatre and the casino together. Since the citizens of Bad Ems call the sunny
side in front of the spa rooms building “Klein Nizza” (Little Nice), as it is oriented
towards the South and decorated with palm trees in summer, the Marble Hall, which
was erected from 1836 to 1839, could be called “Little Rome”. The “Villa Farnesina”
at the Tiber in Rome was taken as an example when the splendid hall with its wall
paintings and columns made of Lahn-valley marble was built. The plans for the festive hall of Bad Ems were provided by Johann Gottfried Gutensohn, the royal Bavarian
construction inspector. In 1913/14 the Marble Hall was not sufficient enough anymore and therefore the spa rooms building was extended by the Spa Theatre. According
to the fashion at that time the theatre was built in a Neo-Rococo style. Still today
both sites of cultural interest are the stages for great cultural events.
6 Casino · Römerstraße 8
That part of the spa rooms building which is the casino today was built at the same
time as the theatre. Once it was the “small concert hall”. Since 1987 the casino has
been in this place. In the 19th century gambling took place in the Marble Hall. But
gambling in the Emperor’s Spa was not compatible with the Prussian ideals. Therefore the first casino in Ems , which had been the oldest in Germany (since 1720), was
closed. In 1987 the casino was reopened and is part of the casinos Mainz and Trier.
7 Kurwaldbahn (cable railway) · Römerstraße 18
The two carriages of the cable railway link the town centre with the spa area on
the “Bismarckhöhe”. The cable railway manages the distance of 220 metres and
a difference in altitude of 132 metres at a speed of 4 metres per second. It has a
gradient of 78% and thus makes it the steepest one of its kind in the world. When
you get to the station at the top you will have a wonderful view on the health resort
and the Lahn valley.
8 Spa Park · Römerstraße
The spa park – today a place for recreation and relaxation – goes back to the late
17th century. Here the guests enjoyed strolling during their mineral water cure. In
the middle of the 19th century the French part of the park was created and later
enlarged by a part in the English style by the famous landscape gardener Siesmeyer
from Frankfort.
The “museum of the Spa and the Town” in the old town hall shows a wide collection
of historical objects from two thousand years (literature and illustration) linked to
the historical development of the town and the health resort. Here you are told
the history of one of the oldest spas north of the Alps. Historical spa documents,
a splendid collection of ornately spa souvenirs, Germany’s oldest roulette, pictures
and information boards invite to a journey into the past. An own focus is dedicated
to the UNESCO World Heritage Site – the Roman “Limes”. Original findings - from
the amphora to the under floor heating – lead you into the world of the Romans.
With its beautiful front this neo Gothic church faces the spar park and the “Four Towers”.
The church was built by the architect Eduard Zais. Amongst the excellently preserved
decorations there are the wall paintings, the high alter, the pews and the glass paintings
of the windows. Most remarkable are the new alter (1985) with its pelican’s nest, the font
and other works made by the sculptor Gerhard Rumpf. With a portion of wit the artist designed the reading desk in 1988. In the “vast net of the church” wriggle fish you can’t find
in a biology book, e.g. the “Bad Ems fish” or the “Emperor Wilhelm fish” – unmistakable
because of its beard. The “Sandner organ” (1995) is impressive, too.
14 Protestant Martin’s Church · Kirchgasse 17
St. Martin is also the patron saint of this old church situated between the small halftimbered houses of the village centre. It was built on historic ground over a Roman
fort in the 12th century. After a serious fire in the village the Romanesque church
was renovated in the early 18th century. The tower got a baroque cover then. People
would have liked a modern baroque style, but the stability of the medieval building
forbade that. It can still be recognized today that the church tower formerly was a
watchtower and a fortified tower.
15, 16, 17 Emser Bergbaumuseum
(Museum of Mining), Mining Tunnels · Emser Hütte 13
The museum of Mining was opened in the historic “Steigerhaus” (pit-foreman’s house)
in 1996. With the help of objects and illustrations the visitors get an insight into the
past epoch, in which different ores were mined in Bad Ems. A display of minerals and
the mining archives of Bad Ems are also part of the museum. The Romans already
did mining in the valley of the Emsbach. Later the archbishops of Trier increased their
income with the silver found in Ems. Because of the industrialisation in the 18th/19th
century metal was urgently needed. The relation between mines and spa weren’t always trouble-free: water was diverted, dark clouds of smoke were produced, and thus
the continuing conflict between rather differing economic branches was smouldering.
In the area of the town the entrance to the “Stadtstollen” (tunnel) is still visible. It
was started in 1869, is about 750 metres long and is the main drainage tunnel. The
“Neuhoffnungsstollen”, which was started in 1858, was the most important mine in
Bad Ems. There were 15 floors and the shaft was nearly 900 metres deep.
18 Alte Zentrale (old central power station)
This impressive monument of industrial architecture was built in 1903. It was the
power station for the lead and silver mines in Bad Ems and was needed to drain the
mines. The mines had up to 16 floors, more than 1.000 miners were employed and it
was among the most important mines in the Rhineland.
This mountain railway was opened in 1887 and managed on its way to the 334
metres high “Malberg” a difference in altitude of 260 meters on a distance of 520
metres. It was operated with water ballast. In 1979 the train was closed because of
technical defects and two years later became an industrial monument.
This church was built for numerous Russian guests. There was also an Anglican
church, which was pulled down some years ago. The cross-shaped layout is typical
for a Russian orthodox church as well as the colours of the domes; the blue colour
symbolizes God’s wisdom. Inside the iconostasis , the magnificently decorated partition wall between the room of the believers and the one which is only for the priest,
shows the different patron saints of the orthodox church. Amongst them there is St.
Alexandra to whom the church is dedicated.
The building is a mixture of a villa and a castle. The house was built as a country
house for a rich Russian landowner. Later it became a hotel. Artists and musicians
were regular guests. Richard Wagner for example completed his opera “Parzifal”
here. Still today “Schloß Balmoral” is a foundation of Rheinland-Pfalz, which serves
persons of graphic art receiving a scholarship as habitation and place of work.
22 Unesco-World Heritage Site – the Roman “Limes”
The „Limes“with a total length of 550 kilometres is Germany’s largest archaeological monument and runs right through Bad Ems. Germany’s oldest reconstruction of a
Roman watchtower (1874) is to be seen on the “Wintersberg”. In the “Pfahlgraben”,
not far from the spa quarter, as well as in other places around Bad Ems palisades
made of massive locks can be admired. There you will also find remains of watchtowers. Near Arzbach there is a reconstructed watchtower, which you can climb up. It
is situated on a 423 metres high basalt mountain peak. Roman findings are shown
in the local museum.
23 Spring tower · Wilhelmsallee 12
This outstanding building near the left bank of the Lahn river was built over the
“Neuquelle” (New Spring) in 1907/08 and provided the mineral water for the neighbouring bathhouse. It is a listed building today.
24 Kaiser-Wilhelm-Kirche
(Church of Emperor Wilhelm I) · Malbergstraße 5
Emperor Wilhelm I already supported this protestant church, which spared the long
way to the old parish church. After he had died a guest of the health resort - pastor
Friedrich von Bodelschwingh - saw to it that the building work was continued. The
church was completed in 1899. The compact church in the Romanesque style raises
at the slope of the Malberg. Most remarkable is the space-saving fitting in of the
bell-tower into the main body of the building.
25 Kapelle Maria Königin (catholic chapel) · Wintersbergstraße 6
This baroque chapel, which was to be a “spa church”, was built on the territory of
the Catholic elector from Mainz, which was foreign country in the Protestant spa in
1661. In the 18th century the chapel was enlarged and became the parish church for
the people of the scattered farms around. In this baroque chapel there is the last
organ made by the organ builders Schöler from Bad Ems.
26 Mainzer Haus · Mainzer Straße 1
Outside of Ems on his own territory the elector Anselm Franz from Mainz had this bathhouse built in 1694. In 1786 it was the scene for the “Emser Kongress”, a meeting
of the German bishops. The house and the gardens have been restored lovingly by
the local “Society for History and Preservation of Historical Monuments”.
27 Heinzelmannshöhlen und Baedecker‘s Felsenweg
(caves and Baedecker’s Rock Path)
Already in the 19th century the wild romantic rocky path high above Bad Ems with
its grandiose views onto the river landscape was part of the tourists’ program. The
fascinating “Heinzelmannshöhlen” (caves) are along the way. It is a geomorphological natural phenomenon, which is steeped in legends.
28 Concordiaturm (look-out-tower)
At the end of the rocky path, which had already been praised by Baedecker, there is
the “Concordiaturm”, which was built in 1861 at a height of 265 metres. Those who
have a good head for heights can enjoy the impressive view across the Lahn valley,
the Taunus and the Westerwald from the platform on top of the tower. Next to the
tower there is a café and restaurant with a panorama terrace.
Street directory
Street directory
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Parking places
Parking places
Bus stop
Parking deck
Parking deck
Gas station
Gas station
Basement garage
Basement garage
One-way street
One-way street
Parking places
Parking places
(also coaches)
(also coaches)
Parking places
Parking places
for motor-homes
for motor-homes
Traffic calmed area
Traffic calmed area
Tourist information
Tourist information
Pedestrian zone
Pedestrian zone
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Updated 04/2013
Updated 04/2013
Bus stop
Swimming pool
Swimming pool
Nordic walking course
Nordic walking course
Excursion boat
Excursion boat