Big footprints

Find out which famous personalities have visited the spa town before you.

Walk of Fame

On the Walk of Fame between Trinkkuranlage and Parkstraße you will find bronze plates with famous Bad Nauheim visitors.

Many nationally and internationally known personalities visited Bad Nauheim to take a cure, spend their free time or make appointments. The list of people from show business, sports, politics or nobility is long. Some of them have already been immortalized on the Walk of Fame. The boards show the portraits of the famous guests with the dates of their visits to the Health City.

Famous visitors

1858 Henry de Pène The Parisian journalist and editor of Figaro wrote the book "Un mois en Allemagne, Nauheim" in 1859 after a stay at the spa, one of the most detailed descriptions of the still young spa, thus contributing to the fame of Bad Nauheim throughout the world.
1859 Otto von Bismarck The later first German Imperial Chancellor was the Royal Prussian envoy in St. Petersburg at the time of his stay at the spa (1859). Bismarck was plagued by severe pain in his leg. Doctors were already about to amputate his leg when he decided to take a spa treatment in Bad Nauheim.
1868 bis 1937 Grand Duke Ernst Ludwig of Hesse and near Rhine He was the last Grand Duke of Hesse-Darmstadt and was known for his motto "My Hesse flourishes and in it art". Ernst Ludwig united important Art Nouveau artists to form an artists' colony and ensured that the new spa facilities around the Sprudelhof and the Trinkkuranlage were built in Bad Nauheim. What is special about this is that everything took place within the framework of an urban development concept.
1871 Alfred Krupp Rhenish industrialist - Alfred Krupp accompanied his son Friedrich Alfred, who was suffering from heart disease, to Bad Nauheim for a cure. In 1875 and 1876 he came to Bad Nauheim again without his father.
1881 bis 1933 Dr. Franz M. Groedel Born in Bad Nauheim, he founded the Kerckhoff Institute (now Max Planck Institute) and headed it as director from 1931 to 1933 before emigrating to New York. He was one of the first German cardiologists to practice in Bad Nauheim.
1891 bis 1896 Franklin D. Roosevelt The young Franklin accompanied his parents James and Sara Roosevelt to Bad Nauheim for several stays at the spa between 1891 and 1896. During his first stay, the nine-year-old attended the town's elementary school for about six weeks.
1898 Empress Elisabeth of Austria "Sisi" underwent a spa treatment in Bad Nauheim from 16 July to 29 August 1898. She was under the medical care of Prof. Dr. Theodor Schott. Thanks to the treatment her health improved quickly, insomnia and depression disappeared.
1892 Mark Twain The U.S. American writer visited Bad Nauheim with his wife and daughter during a longer stay in Europe. Presumably both ladies underwent a bath cure in the healing brine water.
1900 bis 1918 Tsar Ferdinand I of Bulgaria The tsar was several times in Bad Nauheim for cure and private purposes. The stays are little researched, as he is listed in the register of residents under a previously unknown name. The stay for 1918, during which he visited the inn "Forsthaus Winterstein", can be proven.
1904 Karl May Karl May and his wife Klara lived in the former Hotel Reichshof from 26 to 31 October 1904. Even though their stay was of a business nature, they had themselves entered in the list of spa guests. May met in Bad Nauheim with his long-time friend Privy Councillor Dr. Carl Eser, head of the civil engineering office and board member of the Grand Ducal Spa Administration.
1905 bis 1912 Wilhelm Jost Architect of the Sprudelhof and the Trinkkuranlage - The architect and building official Jost was commissioned by Duke Ernst Ludwig of Hesse and near the Rhine to build the new spa facilities in Bad Nauheim. The work was carried out by him between 1905 and 1912.
1907, 1917, 1925 und 1927 Richard Strauss After a strenuous concert tour, the famous and much sought-after composer took a four-week spa treatment in Bad Nauheim on the advice of his doctor. After the first stay, he came to the city several more times. In 1917 he conducted in the Jugendstil theatre.
1908 August Bebel The co-founder of the Socialist German Workers' Party took a spa treatment in Bad Nauheim from 12 May to 2 July. During this time he lived with his wife Julie in the "Villa Fürstenhof".
1910 Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna In 1910 the entire Russian Tsar family stayed for eight weeks in Friedberg Palace, while Tsarina Alexandra underwent a cure in neighbouring Bad Nauheim. She was a sister of the Grand Duke Ernst Ludwig of Hesse and near the Rhine.
1912 Empress Auguste Victoria The German Empress and Queen of Prussia took a spa treatment with Dr. Groedel in spring. She lived in rooms of the Groedel Sanatorium in Terrassenstraße (today "Wiener Café").
1920 Albert Einstein Physicist and Nobel Laureate - Albert Einstein came to Bad Nauheim for the 86th meeting of the Society of German Natural Scientists and Physicians from September 19 to 25. His theory of relativity had come under criticism from some scientists. On September 23rd, a memorable discussion between Einstein and Lenard took place in Bad Nauheim's bathhouse 8, during which the scientists presented and defended their different points of view.
1924 bis 1928 William G. Kerckhoff The American industrialist with German roots was treated in Bad Nauheim because of his severe heart disease. He and his wife always stayed at the Grand Hotel. After his death, his widow established the charitable foundation "Zur Erforschung und Bekämpfung von Herzkrankheiten" as his last will. This was followed by the construction of a new institute for scientific research and further education.
1925 Hans Albers German singer and actor - As an unknown actor in 1925 Albers accompanied the chamber singer Claire Dux with whom he is said to have been married at that time. They attended a concert of the Bad Nauheim spa orchestra.
1930 und 1932 Erich Kästner Writers - The residencies of Erich Kästner can only be proven for the years 1930 and 1932. The author lived in the "Villa Kurbrunnen", Kurstraße 23, accompanied by his mother Ida. Letters to the then spa director Dr. Kleinert and others remind us of his time in Bad Nauheim.
1930, 1932 und 1934 William R. Hearst In the 1930s, the American newspaper publisher and his wife Marion Davies spent several health cure stays in Bad Nauheim. In 1934 the couple also accompanied their sons with their wives and numerous servants.
1930, 1932 und 1934 Marion Davies Hollywood actress - Davies accompanied her husband William R. Hearst to his health cure in Bad Nauheim.
1931 Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands During his stay at the spa in Bad Nauheim, Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands was still a Prince of Lippe-Biesterfeld. He did not appear in public.
1931 und 1932 Lilian Gish US actress - The Bad Nauheim Kurliste records the presence of "Miss Lilian Gish from New York" at the Groedel Sanatorium from 24 May to 1 July 1931 and from 11 August to 14 September 1932. The artist sought relief from her heart disease after strenuous film work.
1935 Hu Han Min In den 1930er Jahren verbrachten der amerikanische Zeitungsverleger und seine Frau Marion Davies mehrere Kuraufenthalte in Bad Nauheim. Im Jahr 1934 begleitete das Ehepaar auch die Söhne mit ihren Ehefrauen und zahlreichen Bediensteten.
1945 General George S. Patton Patton was transferred by General Dwight D. Eisenhower in September to the 15th U.S. Army to collect historical data. Patton spent the last eight weeks of his life (October 8 to December 9) at headquarters in Bad Nauheim.
1950 Max Schmeling German boxing world champion - On the occasion of a "Schmeling fight day", the athlete came to the ice stadium in Bad Nauheim on 3 June. After his active career, Schmeling was active as a referee among other things.
1953 Heinz Rühmann The well-known film actor came to Bad Nauheim on 25 February and stayed overnight in the Parkhotel. There he had a manuscript meeting with the authors of the film and the director for his next film.
1958 bis 1960 Elvis Aron Presley The King of Rock'n'Roll lived in Bad Nauheim from October 1958 to March 1960. During this time he did his US military service in Germany. He was stationed in Friedberg and lived in Bad Nauheim.
1959 Sepp Herberger National coach DFB - Herberger visited Bad Nauheim in June for a few days, as his wife was here for a cure. Among other things they took a cab ride.
1959 und 1962 König Ibn Saud I King of Saudi Arabia - One of the most impressive visits was certainly the spa stay of Saud ibu Abd al - Aziz Al Saud, with his 70-member court. For four weeks the population was transported into the fairy tale of 1001 nights. Wherever the richest man in the world appeared in his sky-blue Cadillac, crowds of people gathered.
1964 bis 1980 Caroline Link The German director and screenwriter Caroline Link was born in Bad Nauheim. During her school days she attended the St. Lioba School. The director, who now lives in Munich, won the Oscar in 2003 for her film "Nowhere in Africa".

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Alexander Jung

Alexander Jung

Municipal archive

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