Wiesbaden City Parks

Over the years of traveling around the world, I've come to view city parks as an item of curiosity.  Some cities put a huge amount of effort and capital into them.  Parks like Central Park in New York City are fairly impressive.  There are various parks in London and Paris which I rate as one-of-a-kind.

Then you come to Wiesbaden.  I don't think they ever had a plan from the very beginning....they simply took what they had, and worked with it.  Eventually, they'd add another city park to the city, and another, and another.

Today, Wiesbaden has nine city parks.  If you took them as a whole.....they rate as high as Central Park, or any park in London.

First, there's the Neoberg Park, on top of the hill overlooking the northside of Wiesbaden.  There's the acreage which used to be the fancy hotel on the hill (burnt down in the 1980s), along with the Roman ruins, the Neoberg train, and a million-dollar view of the entire city.  Toss in the WWI  memorial, and you've got a enjoyable afternoon.

Second, is the Herbert and Reisinger Park, just across from the Bahnhof.  Large on acreage, and a couple of statues, it's basically an open field, with a few trees around the corners.  If you wanted a place to just lay out a blanket, have a sandwich and relax....this is it.  I would guess the size at thirty acres.

Third is Warmer Damm Park, near the Casino.  There's several historic statues, and I'd guess the size of this park to be near thirty acres.  It's supposed to have been around since 1805, and have a few hints of ancient Roman ruins.

Fourth is Kurpark.  It's behind the Casino, and the larger of all the parks.  I'd take a guess at a hundred-fifty acres, but it's winds itself around various neighborhoods.  If you were looking for a extra long walk or jog.....this would be the place to do it.  Plus there's an abundance of trees to cover the summer heat.

Fifth is Richard Wagner Park.  It's over by the wine cellars of the Henkel area.  It's been around for roughly a hundred years, and probably is around twenty to thirty acres in size.

Sixth is the Neotal Park.  It's on the northwestern side of town, near Neoberg.  This is probably closer to sixty to seventy acres.....with springs and streams in abundance.  Toss in at least twenty statues around the park, and the walking trail, and you've got a five-star city park.

Seventh is Albrecht Durer Park.....over by Aarstrasse.  This is another park which came in decade prior to WW I, and looks more like a London park than any of the others in town.

Eight is Biebrich Palace Park....way on the southside of town, and it starts about 500 feet from the Rhine River.  I'd take a guess that it's a minimum of 150 acres.  The old palace is there at the riverside entrance, with a older fortress-style building out in the center part.  If you were looking for an extra long walk and minimum people around.....this is the better of the parks in the city.

Finally, I come to Freudenberg Palace on the far western side of Wiesbaden.....basically at the city limits.  This is an odd piece of property that was a rundown palace....built a couple of years prior to WW I.  The city came to volunteer (my view of the status) to take over the house and property, and try to make something out of it (mid-1990's).  There isn't an abundance of park associated with this situation.....mostly just the small palace and the local grounds around it.  Generally, it's open for viewing, and it's chief attraction is the 'rental-property' deal.  Yes, if you were getting married, or wanted a big birthday bash....you can get a fair portion of the palace for your occasion, and bring in a catering service to serve everyone.  Of the nine parks, this one really isn't something that I'd associate as a city park.....but their management team runs the deal.

Take the nine parks as a whole, and they can probably compete with any city park on the face of the Earth.  The negative?  They are spread around town to a fair degree.  Everyone has a park within twenty minutes of where they live.  And in today's world, that means a good bit.