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Bad Homburg

The Kaiser-Wilhelms-Bad in the Kurpark of Bad Homburg with its dome and columned portico
The Elisabethenbrunnen in the Bad Homburg Kurpark with its columned rotunda and flower beds
Bad Homburg Palace with the White Tower at sunrise, the palace pond in front

Casino in the Kurpark

The casino in the Kurpark opened on 23 May 1841.

Plan a visit

Minimum age according to our records: 18 years.

Please check with the building before you go: age, opening hours and dress code. General notes

History of the house

In 1838 Landgrave Ludwig of Hesse-Homburg had the Brunnensälchen built in what is now the Kurpark. On 23 May 1841 the French twin brothers Louis and François Blanc opened the casino there. In return for the licence the Blancs financed a Kurhaus with an English-style park (1841–1843) and gave the spa business its boost to world-spa status.

François Blanc later also built up the casino at Monte-Carlo, which is why the Bad Homburg casino is often called the “mother of Monte Carlo”. After the founding of the German Empire gambling was banned and the casino closed in 1872. It was refounded in 1949 and moved back into the Brunnensälchen.

According to the tourist office, Fyodor Dostoevsky was a frequent guest in Homburg.

Getting there

  • From Frankfurt Airport take the S8 to the main station (≈ 12 min), then the S5 towards Friedrichsdorf to Bad Homburg (≈ 30 min).
  • Buses run from the station to the Kurhaus; on foot it is ≈ 20 min to the Kurpark. The casino is in the Kurpark.
  • Alternatively: underground line U2 to Bad Homburg/Gonzenheim.

Times and distances are approximate (≈), without guarantee. Check timetables with the transport operator.

On the way and nearby

  • Kurpark – Park shaped by Peter Joseph Lenné, the green heart of the town.
  • Kaiser-Wilhelms-Bad – Domed building in the Kurpark, designed by Louis Jacobi.
  • Elisabethenbrunnen – Fountain in the Kurpark (see photo).
  • Russian Church – Orthodox church in the Kurpark, recalling the era of Russian guests.
  • Bad Homburg Palace – Former residence of the landgraves with the White Tower.

The house and the place

The casino stands in the middle of the Kurpark, next to the Kaiser-Wilhelms-Bad. The Brunnensälchen was extended several times over the years; in 2016 the house, the François-Blanc-Spielbank, celebrated its 175th anniversary. Dostoevsky’s “The Gambler” was read in the main hall as part of the poetry festival.

The town’s Kurhäuser have an eventful history: the first (1841–1843) was damaged by fire in 1860, and the second followed in 1861–1863. The building destroyed in an air raid in 1945 was replaced; the third Kurhaus was built in 1952.

Bad Homburg has carried the “Bad” prefix since 1912. After 1888 the town was a summer residence of Kaiser Wilhelm II; the Kaiser-Wilhelms-Bad in the Kurpark (1887–1890) recalls this.

Brunnvelta is your travel guide. We bring together history, directions and sights so that you can plan your trip to this place at ease. We sell nothing. All information without guarantee – please check with the building, the organiser and the transport operator before you travel.

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