SCIENCE & EDUCATION

Baden-Baden is a spa town in the German state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. It is located in the northern foothills of the Black Forest in close proximity to France and Switzerland.

The popularity of the city as a spa dates from the early 19th century, when the Prussian queen visited the site to improve her health. During the 19th century, the town rose to become a meeting place for celebrities, who were attracted by the hot springs as well as by the famous Baden-Baden Casino, the luxury hotels, the horse races, and the gardens of the Lichtentaler Allee. Clients included Queen Victoria, Wilhelm I, Napoleon III, Berlioz, Brahms, Turgenev, and Dostoyevsky. Baden-Baden is a setting in Tolstoy's Anna Karenina (though the city is given a different name).

In 1931, the town of Baden-Baden was officially given its double name, which is the short form for "Baden in Baden" (i.e., Baden in the state of Baden).